Niyamgiri activists allege witch-hunt

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/niyamgiri-activists-allege-witch-hunt/article18477503.ece

Bhubaneswar, May 18, 2017

 Demand action against police for harassing NSS workers

A six-member fact-finding team on Wednesday alleged that the Centre and the Odisha government were hand in hand to defame the Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti by branding its activists as Maoists.

Addressing a press conference here, the activists demanded action against the Rayagada police, which have been harassing activists of the NSS. They also demanded the withdrawal of cases against tribals who had nothing to do with the Maoists.

The activists said when Vedanta company was still looking for ways to overturn the Palli Sabha mandate and source bauxite from Niyamgiri, the Odisha police was “enacting forced surrenders” to repress the movement by branding its activists as Maoists.

The fact-finding team included Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All-India Progressive Women’s Association, Priya Pillai, environmental activist, Santi Snigdha Mohanty, Delhi Solidarity Group, and Chittaranjan Behera, social activist from Cuttack.

“The tribals are being punished for having won the battle against Vedanta,” said Ms Krishnan.

Giving details of their findings, Ms. Pillai expressed concern over the recent arrest and detention of a 20-year-old newly married tribal woman, Kuni Sikaka, by the Rayagada police. Ms Sikaka, an activist of the Niyamgiri movement, was taken away from her in-laws’ home on May 1 night, released on May 3 and was forced to surrender as a Maoist, said Ms. Pillai.

She said Ms Sikaka and her husband, Jagli Pusika, who had gone to the police station along with his father Dadhi Pusika, a prominent NSS activist, signed their surrender statements before the police after they were told that they would be jailed for several years if they didn’t surrender. Both Ms Sikaka and her husband refused to accept Rs. 2 lakh each offered to them as per the package for surrendered Maoists, she added.

The team also met Dasaru Kadraka, another NSS activist, who is in the Bissam-Cuttack jail. following his arrest one year and two months ago. “Dasaru said he was tortured, his hands were tied and he was given electric shock to force him to surrender,” said Ms. Krishnan.

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