From: [email protected]<https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5y9srzltekr0/?v=b&cs=wh&[email protected]>
Dear all, This what the MoEF minister, Jairam Ramesh, wrote back immediately after I sent the second appeal to the PM, marking copies to Sonia Gandhi, P Chidambaram, Rahul Gandhi and to him. in solidarity, subrat Appeal to the PM posted on Hardnews. *POSCO: An open letter to the Prime Minister* http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2010/05/3556 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Jairam Ramesh <[email protected]<https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5y9srzltekr0/?v=b&cs=wh&[email protected]> > Date: 17 May 2010 15:18 Subject: Fwd: Appeal to the Hon'ble PM to intervene in the Orissa situation To: [email protected]<https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5y9srzltekr0/?v=b&cs=wh&[email protected]> *thanks. i share your concern and anguish. it is really upto naveen patnaik and his colleagues to do something sensitive and proper about this.* --------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Subrat <[email protected]<https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5y9srzltekr0/?v=b&cs=wh&[email protected]> > Date: Mon, May 17, 2010 at 3:07 PM Subject: Appeal to the Hon'ble PM to intervene in the Orissa situation To: [email protected]<https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5y9srzltekr0/?v=b&cs=wh&[email protected]> Cc: [email protected]<https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5y9srzltekr0/?v=b&cs=wh&[email protected]> , [email protected]<https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5y9srzltekr0/?v=b&cs=wh&[email protected]> , [email protected]<https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5y9srzltekr0/?v=b&cs=wh&[email protected]> , [email protected]<https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5y9srzltekr0/?v=b&cs=wh&[email protected]> , [email protected]<https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5y9srzltekr0/?v=b&cs=wh&[email protected]> , [email protected]<https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5y9srzltekr0/?v=b&cs=wh&[email protected]> , [email protected]<https://mail.google.com/mail/h/5y9srzltekr0/?v=b&cs=wh&[email protected]> *SECOND LETTER TO THE HON’BLE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA* *ON THE ONGOING POLICE ATTACKS ON PEACEFUL DISSENTERS IN ORISSA* 17 May 2010 New Delhi To Dr Manmohan Singh Hon’ble Prime Minister of the Republic of India *Sub: Appeal to immediately intervene in Jajpur and Jagatsingpur districts of Orissa where police and paramilitary forces are crushing India’s democratic values in broad daylight* Sir, We, a group of concerned citizens, are shocked and anguished at the current situation in Jajpur and Jagatsingpur districts of Orissa where police and paramilitary forces have been sent by the state government to crush people’s democratic dissent in the most undemocratic and unbecoming way. In blatant disregard towards Constitutional values, the state government of Orissa on 15 May 2010 sent at least 40 platoons of police force to Balitutha in Jagatsingpur district – the entry place for the proposed POSCO project area – where hundreds of villagers of the PPSS (POSCO Pratirodh Sangharsh Samiti) were sitting in a peaceful demonstration since 26 January 2010 to express their dissent against the proposed plant, which is a fundamental right of the people going to be affected by the plant. They are also defending their rights under the Forest Rights Act 2006, which the UPA government terms as a historic Act to ‘correct a historical injustice’, which the Orissa government has blatantly violated. Instead of coming to dialogue with the people – as they should in any democracy – the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police rather led the forces with a well-planned attack on peaceful demonstrators, in which the temporary shelter at the demonstration site was set on fire and peaceful protesters were mercilessly beaten and fired with rubber and plastic bullets by the police. More than 100 villagers, including women, are reported to have been injured in this unprovoked attack by the state. The police have also used shotguns – contrary to what they claim – besides firing rubber and plastic bullets. This is evident in the fact that dozens among the injured are writhing in pain with splinter wounds in Balitutha village at the moment, and no medical help is at sight due to the forced blockade by the police. The forces – who behaved more like hired goons led by officers in responsible positions attacking peaceful villagers – also dragged women by the hair and beat them up badly, resulting in severe injuries. The presence of massive police force in the area shows the state’s desperation to facilitate corporate businesses in exchange of the country’s valuable natural resources, peoples’ secured lives and livelihoods. This is absolutely undemocratic and unnecessary. We are grieved to note that such moves by the state smack of trading basic democratic values and people’s fundamental rights for corporate interests, and are not at all in the national interest in any way. In another act of excess and terror, the Kalinganagar area where a TATA steel plant is proposed by the state government is under siege by the forces since 30 March 2010. Villages have been destroyed, people have been forced to move out and take refuge in the forest, and no one – journalists, medical teams, or activists – is allowed to go in there. It is extremely shocking to learn that one tribal man, named Lakshman Jamuda (55), was killed and many severely injured in police firing in Kalinganagar on 12 May 2010. To hush up the incriminating act of the state government, the police took away Jamuda’s body to Puri and got it cremated by one of his distant relatives, Lalmohan, instead of handing over his body to the immediate family members. Later, Lalmohan confessed to the media that he was made to sign on a blank paper by the police at gun point. *How can such acts of atrocities and excess be justified in a democracy? This is certainly not how a democracy should behave; and we strongly condemn such acts of excess and terror!* * * *Therefore, we the undersigned, request you to intervene at the earliest to uphold people’s faith in democracy and their rights to democratic resistance, and withdraw the police forces from these areas immediately. After establishing peace in these areas, the state should come to dialogue with the people of Jagatsingpur and Jajpur who are peacefully resisting to protect their lands, resources and identity – i.e., fundamental rights of citizens in any democracy.* * * Yours sincerely, 1. Prashant Bhushan, Advocate, New Delhi 2. Medha Patkar, NAPM 3. Arundhati Roy, Writer and Activist, New Delhi 4. Sandeep Pandey, NAPM and many more -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. 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