Update from Surya shankar dash

On the 6th of May, the large contingent of police had stayed out of Chandia village when villagers strongly opposed them from entering the village (see below) and only a small group was allowed to enter the village and demolish the displaced people’s houses. There was no untoward incident reported that day but four days later a large contingent of armed security forces arrived again today morning to demolish more houses of the displaced. Villagers opposed this as they had struck a deal on the 6th that all demolition jobs were to be done with by the end of that day. Then the police resorted to lathi charge at a crowd made of men, women and children. Many people have sustained injuries and one Garkha Barla, aged between 30-35, has been seriously injured and taken to a hospital by the police. The demolition has begun and the village is besieged by fear of more violence by the Police.

Will update when more information is available.

Police returns to Chandia (Kalinga Nagar) for more demolition while at least 8 platoons prepare to take on anti-POSCO protestors at Balitutha (Jagatsingpur)

11 May 2010

In the name of demolishing houses of displaced persons, the resisting villagers of Chandia are being now terrorised almost regularly by large contingents of police forces. Villagers believe that the houses are being demolished slowly so that the police can keep coming back to the village to provoke them and find a reason to attack them. Since yesterday some eight odd houses are being demolished at a snail’s pace while Police forces keep an eye for the slightest pretext to lash out at the resisting villagers. In yesterday’s lathi charge Garkha Barla sustained serious injuries in his limbs and lower back. He has returned to Chandia today.

Meanwhile heavy police deployment is being planned around the villages opposing the POSCO steel plant. Sources say that a high-level meeting was held yesterday at Paradip where it was decided that at least 8 platoons would be mobilised today to disrupt the protest sit-in at Balitutha where 300-350 villagers have been protesting every day since 26 January. It is being feared that within the next 2 days the Govt is planning on a major Police offensive in the area with police already being strategically deployed around the resistance villages.

Sources say that one of the masterminds behind the Police action in Kalinga Nagar as well as Jagatsinghpur is the tainted I.A.S. officer Priyabrata Patnaik, MD of IDCO and the former Nodal Officer for the POSCO project who had been relieved from all charges for almost 2 years for alleged involvement in a high profile murder case. He is the same person who had made the infamous statement 3 years when goons had hurled bombs at peaceful women protestors at Bailtutha, that “the people have been taught a lesson and will not dare to raise their voice again. It seems he is now back to teach the people some more lessons in repression.

And while people of Kalinga Nagar and Jagatsingpur are taught many lessons there seems to be not even a whimper of protest from the opposition parties. Their silence is rather a sign of support for the corporate friendly CM of Orissa, Naveen Patnaik and that they are complicit in this corporate assault on people’s land, forest and water.

Related posts:

1. Monthly Tata Sponsored Devastation of Baligotha village by Govt?
2. URGENT: One person killed in Kalinga Nagar shooting
3. Tata Steel Plant Foundation being laid with Mysterious Murders Forceful Demolitions in Kalinga Nagar