Dear friends
As you must be knowing the Chasi Mulia Adi vasi Sangh (CMAS) is a democratic mass organisation of Adivasis in Narayanpatna Block of Koraput dist Orissa. for the past many years the CMAS has been fighting a relentless battle to reclaim their lands from money lenders, landlords, and the liquor mafia. Legally tribal lands cannot be occupied by non tribals in Narayanpatna area. but the money lenders and landlords has been doing this with the active connivance with the police, dist Administration and different ruling parties like congress and BJD. In the name of tackling Maoist problem the Orissa police along with the central paramilitary forces like CRPF, COBRA, India Reserve Batallion etc.. have been attacking tribal villages in Narayanpatna Block in the name of Combing Operations. this combing operations in Narayanpatna Block has been extremely brutal and sadistic. the poli ce enter the houses throw the belongings out beat up the men folk ruthlessly and rape women . This story of sexual violence against women is extremely horrifying. where Adivasi women are subject to gang rape by the police and paramilitary forces.

On 20th November around 200 adivasis along with the leadership of CMAS went to the police station to protest against the police atrocities and sexual violence on adivasi women without any rhyme or reason, the police opened fire and killed two prominent adivasi activists. After that it has been a trail of absolute sadistic attack on the adivasi villages of Narayanpatna. The police have been going around raiding peoples home , torturing, arresting and raping adivasi women. They have arrested 67 activists of CMAS without any reason.

Adding salt to the injury the Shanti Commitee (equivalent of Salwa Judum in Orissa) which has been formed by the local landlords, money lenders, liquor mafia and the dist leaders of congress and BJD has been terrorising people has forcibiliy harvested the paddy crop of the adivasis and carrying on relentless atrocities on adivasis with ac tive support of the police and the dist Administration.

On 9 December an All india Womens Fact Finding team went to Narayana patna. when they were at the police station, they were badly treated and asked them to come at evening. They were beaten up and harrassed by the Policemen in plainclothes. they have been chased by the Shanti commitee goons and a senior member of the team named Kusum from Pune around 72 years old got injured. when the women team came out of the police station and was proceeding towards Bandhugaon, they were followed by plain clothes police men in motor bikes. the shanti commitee had blocked the road before Bandhugaon by a bullock cart. when the vehicle in which the womens team was travelling stopped near the bullock cart, the local landlords, the shanti commitee goons attacked the vehicle and in the process Ms. Kusum Karnik, Mamta Dash and other women member were injured. the driver of the vehicle was badly beaten up. when the team reached the Andra Pradesh border, the Andra police team arrested them and when members of the team spoke to higher police officials they were released.

We request all the Women’s, Peasants, students, workers and Human rights organisations to write to the Governor and Chief Minister of Orissa to immediately stop the combing operations in Narayan patna Block, take action against the polie and Paramilitry forces who have raped adivasi women, arrest the police officials who killed the activists of CMAS on 20th November and book them under Section 302 of IPC and immediately take action against the police officials and shanti commitee members who attack the all Indian Women’s fact finding team. we also request you to send maximum number of Fact Finding teams to Narayanpatna and also please circulate this mail to your friends and other activist groups.

regards.
Asit (social Activist and researcher Delhi)
Anand (Student JNU)

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