NO RELIEF FROM OPPRESSIVE ANTI-MAOIST FORCES

-

NO RELIEF FROM OPPRESSIVE ANTI-MAOIST FORCES

Monday, 03 March 2014 | AJIT PANDA | NUAPADA | in Bhubaneswar
    
0
The Army personnel came to our village at 5 am on February 24 and started beating us mercilessly without any reason. They also abused us in vulgar language and defiled our kitchens, which is a violation of our tradition...,” read a complaint letter of the Chakotia Bhunjia tribal people of Jalmadei village in the Maoist-ridden Sunabeda plateau.
The Chakotia Bhunjias are one of the primitive vulnerable tribal groups (PVTG) of Odisha. The complaint was submitted to the Nuapada SP on Wednesday last. More than 60 people of the village, who are the victims of brutality of the anti-Maoist forces deployed in the Sunabeda plateau, had arrived at the district headquarters to express their grievance before the district administration.
Later, sharing their woes with the mediapersons, the tribal villagers narrated how the anti-Maoist forces deployed in the Sunabeda plateau are regularly torturing the villagers alleging that the people are sheltering the Maoists in their villages.
“On February 24, we were performing the ‘Mahul Jatra Puja’ of our deity near our village stream. We did not know that the Kobra police had cordoned off our village from all sides. We ran for our lives, when we heard gun shots. The police force appeared in the village after some time and started beating us indiscriminately. They did not even spare the old and the weak,” said the people. Elaborating further, they said 21 villagers were injured, including one seriously, due to the brutality of the police. They showed marks of injury on their backs and legs.
The Chakotia Bhunjia tribals construct their kitchen in a separate place a little far from their dwelling houses and never allow any outsiders to touch that. If it is touched by outsiders, the kitchens are burnt immediately and a new one is constructed. It has been learnt that, the anti-Maoist forces have defiled the kitchens even in the past in another village called Bhabsil of the plateau area. The people have repeatedly complained before the higher authorities about the excesses of the police force, but there is no relief.
The torture of people by police force in our area has become a regular affair. The people of Khadang village of Sunabeda panchayat had also complained about police torture in their village a few days ago. The complaints of the villagers are not taken care of, rued Soseng Panchayat sarapanch Jagmohan Majhi. “We have registered a case and action will be taken after investigation. I will personally visit the village to enquire the matter,” said the SP.
DRDA PD Pradip Naik had a discussion with the villagers. He latter assured, “All the households of the village will be provided houses under the IAY. I have learnt from them that there is a perennial stream near the village which can be used for irrigating crops through lift irrigation projects. We will study the feasibility and take step.” Sunabeda plateau of Nuapada district bordering Chhatishgarh has been declared as a tiger sanctuary since long. There are about 42 human settlements inside the sanctuary. The people of these villages are in a difficult situation due to the presence of the Maoists on the one hand and the police force on the other. Neither is benevolent to them.
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NBWS ISSUED AGAINST 3 N’PADA FOREST STAFF

-
NBWS ISSUED AGAINST 3 N’PADA FOREST STAFF Sunday, 10 May 2015 | AJIT PANDA | NUAPADA | in  Bhubaneswar The Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC), Khariar issued non-bailable warrants (NBWs) against three officials of Forest (Territorial) Division of Khariar. The NBWs were issued against DFO Sarat Chandra Panda, ACF Nityanand Naik and Forester Surendra Barik for deliberately defying summons of the JMFC for appearance in the court. The police are yet to arrest the officials, as they are absconding. The incident which led to such an unprecedented situation is peculiar. The DFO had issued an order for digging of a trench on the boundary line of forest land located near the JMFC court. The work resulted in the damage of a footpath and the water supply system leading to the court premises. Expressing discontent, the advocates of Khariar Bar Association requested the Forest Department to stop the work. However, the DFO instead of listening to them, justified his work stat...
Read more

Odisha’s Nuapada a snapshot of how COVID-19 is affecting rural India

-
Image
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/health/odisha-s-nuapada-a-snapshot-of-how-covid-19-is-affecting-rural-india-76689 Odisha’s Nuapada a snapshot of how COVID-19 is affecting rural India Nuapada distrct experiences lack of oxygen, callous staff, a swelling number of infection cases and deaths and an administration in denial as COVID-19 wreaks havoc  By  Ajit Panda Published: Monday 26 April 2021  A person being tested for COVID-19 at the Khariar Road Railway Station in Odisha's Nuapada district. Photo: Twitter Handle of the Collector and District Magistrate of Nuapada The worst fears of experts regarding rural India during the first wave of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) last year are coming true. Nuapada, a district of Odisha bordering Chhattisgarh, offers a snapshot of the havoc that the pandemic is wreaking, now that it has reached these areas. Lack of oxygen, callous staff, the swelling number of infection cases and deaths and an administration in denial is ...
Read more

Dalits avenge discrimination by upper caste

-
  Dalits avenge discrimination by upper caste Sunday, 24 April 2022  |  AJIT PANDA  | NUAPADA https://www.dailypioneer.com/2022/state-editions/dalits-avenge-discrimination-by-upper-caste.html Despite strict laws and social reforms, there seems to be no end to caste discrimination. In an incident reported from Jamgaon village under the Boden police limits of Nuapada district, dalits of the village have allegedly been prevented from carrying the ceremonial vases filled with water and paddy in a Kalas Yatra held during celebration of the Ram Navami on April 10.  According to dalits, the village as a whole decided to celebrate the Ram Navami with participation of people of all communities, including dalits. All dalit families contributed financially equally as decided in a village meeting. "But when the decision about organising the Kalas Yatra was made, they said dalit women would not be allowed to carry Kalas because the water and paddy would be impure “It was qui...
Read more