---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anivar Aravind <[email protected]> Date: Fri, Oct 1, 2010 at 1:48 PM Subject: [OrissaConcerns] CONDEMN THE ATTEMPTS TO ATTACK PRAFULLA SAMANTARA To: connect <[email protected]>, common-concern < [email protected]>
http://orissaconcerns.net/2010/10/condemn-the-attempts-to-attack-prafulla-samantara/ On September 19, 2010, Prafulla Samantara, the well known activist intellectual from Orissa, was traveling to Katikela, a village in Jharsuguda in Orissa, where Vedanta is forcing people to leave their ancestral lands. The local people had invited him to address a meeting. The local villagers and activists informed him that there were several goondas of the company moving around in the village, threatening to attack Prafulla. Therefore, it was decided that the meeting should be canceled instead of involving in a confrontation. Prafulla was supposed to address a press conference against the problems of pollution by the power plants and aluminum plants of Vedanta in the region on the same day at Jharsuguda. However, since the local organists informed him that a number of goondas were waiting on the road to attack him on the way, this programme was also forced to be dropped. Several threatening calls were also received by the local activists as well as Prafulla on this issue. On the next day, Prafulla was scheduled to address a meeting in Niyamgiri among adivasis, organised by the Niyamgiri Surakhya Samiti in a village near Lanjigarh, where the local people were affected by the alumina plant of Vedanta. The meeting was to discuss about the need to protect Niyamgiri permanently from the illegal alumina plant of Vedanta. However, the goons of the company as well as the police threatened the villagers not to attend the meeting and many were forced to go back. Instead of providing security and peace, the police actively sided with the goondas of the company, trying to disrupt the meeting. However, the meeting took place, but while returning there were similar threats by the goondas of Vedanta. Earlier, on July 25, 2009, Prafulla along with other activists were hijacked by the goondas of Vedanta on their route to address a rally of adivasis to save Niyamgiri. Fortunately, they were rescued by the adivasis. Prafulla Samantara is one of the most visible activists of Orissa, playing an active role in supporting various people's movements like anti-POSCO movement, anti-Vedanta movement and many other struggles. He is also a petitioner to the Supreme Court's committee to protect Niyamgiri as well as a petitioner for the Saxena Committee whose report forced the Ministry of Environment and Forests to suspend the clearance for Vedanta. We understand that the recent attempts on the life of Prafulla is based on the committed action and writings of Prafulla, against the massive ecological destruction and displacement initiated by Vedanta in Orissa. The credentials of Prafulla are well known in Orissa. We can imagine that if such a known personality like Prafulla can be attacked, what would be the fate of ordinary adivasis, dalits and farmers who are struggling against various destructive projects. Two incidents of police firings on the local people have taken place in the recent past in Orissa. Many false cases have been registered on various activists who are raising genuine issues related to commons in Orissa. While the goondas of the multinational companies are threatening the lives of local villagers and activists, the communal fascists are threatening the adivasis and dalits in Khandamal. The Police and the administration are playing an active role in fueling the deep human rights violation of the civil society in Orissa. We believe that the human rights of the human rights defenders in this country are as important as the lives of the marginalised people. Every attempt to prevent democratic spaces and dialogues have to be opposed strongly. We therefore condemn the attempts on Prafulla as well as many other activists and demand that Naveen Patnaik withdraw immediately from his plans to sell Orissa to multinational corporations. We appeal to all democratic, secular and peace loving people to support this cause and raise the issue wherever possible. Posco Prathirodha Sangram Samity National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers Narmada Bachavo Andolan National Alliance of Peoples Movements National Adivasi Alliance Jatadhar Bachavo Andolan Jal Suraksha Jana Mancha Vedanta University Pratirodh Sangharsha Samity Niyamgiri Surakhya Samiti Orissa Concerns Jharkhand Jungle Bachao Andolan Kerala Indipendant Fishworkers Federation (KSMTF) Coastal Action Network Kerala Tourism Watch National Council of Churches in India Karnataka Dalit Mahila Vedike Manab Adhikar Sangram Samiti, Assam Youth Fight for Jobs, England United Socialist Party , Srilanka Tamil Solidarity New Socialist Alternative People Solidarity Concern Campaign to Reclaim Democracy Paschim Odissa Krishak Samghatan Samanway Samiti Budakattu Krishikara Sangha, Kodagu _______________________________________________ connect mailing list [email protected] http://lists.orissaconcerns.net/listinfo.cgi/connect-orissaconcerns.net http://orissaconcerns.net -- Adv Kamayani Bali Mahabal +919820749204 skype-lawyercumactivist "After a war, the silencing of arms is not enough. Peace means respecting all rights. You can’t respect one of them and violate the others. When a society doesn’t respect the rights of its citizens, it undermines peace and leads it back to war.” -- Maria Julia Hernandez www.otherindia.org www.binayaksen.net www.phm-india.org www.phmovement.org www.ifhhro.org -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "humanrights movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/humanrights-movement?hl=en.
