Lado Sikaka, the tribal leader of the Dongria Kondh, was released yesterday afternoon (12  Aug) by the police three days after he was abducted. He was left at Kalyansingpur town and had to walk 10 km to reach home. He was tortured by the police who have forced him to sign a written statement. The statement says that Lado “will not damage public or private property anymore and if he does so he will face legal action.” This clever statement by police is to implicate him in cases he was not involved in and to easily frame him in the future also. During interrogation Lado was repeatedly asked about Maoist presence in Niyamgiri. Lado strongly denied the allegations despite being beaten. Even under great duress he has made it clear that he and his community will not give up their struggle against the Vedanta’s proposed mining of their sacred mountain Niyamgiri. Later when he was released he was handed over the cellphones and car keys that were snatched away from activists present during Lado’s abduction, which vindicates Sidhart Naik’s written complaint to the Lanjigarh police station.

The police is desperately trying to establish links with the Dongria Kondh tribal movement and the Maoists in order to facilitate repressive measures that will clear all opposition from the tribe to the mining project. Already, last month two platoons of para-military had carried out a combing operation in Lado’s village, Lakhpadar and had beaten up Sana Sikaka (who was also abducted with Lado and released in a few hours). The non-violent movement of the Dongria Kondh is now being given the Maoist tag only to facilitate Vedanta’s mining plans that will devastate the life, livelihood and environment of the people. There is no proof of any Maoist insurgency happening in the Niyamgiri hills ever. So why is the police torturing innocent people fighting for their rights and treating them worse than hardcore criminals? The Dongria Kondh are one of the most endangered communities in the world and they have been promised special protection by the Indian Constitution. They are a Primitive Tribal Group. Abducting and torturing a leader of such a community is not only a grave violation of the Indian Constitution, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. It is a violent mockery to do so on a day observed across the world as World
Indigenous People’s Day (9 Aug).

While the police is trying to justify its actions by faking Maoist presence in Niyamgiri it is clear that all those who deposed strongly against Vedanta in front of the N C Saxena Committee are being targetted. Already Arsee Majhi, anti Vedanta tribal activist from Bandhaguda village in Lanjigarh has been murdered the very day he had strongly criticized Vedanta in front of the Saxena Committee. Many villagers have also been arrested under false charges in the area. So, Lado’s abduction by the police has nothing to do with the Maoists as there is no Maoist presence in the area. This is being cooked up by the police to justify such torture of members of a Primitive Tribal Group.
The Police has to stop acting like the mercenary agent of Vedanta and rather should ensure protection of the tribals from the goons of Vedanta. We demand that the Central Govt should carry out a thorough investigation (as State Govt is favorably disposed towards Vedanta instead of citizens) to find out who ordered the abduction of Lado Sikaka and punish all those involved in this inhuman treatment of Lado Sikaka, the main leader of the Dongria Kondh’s anti mining/anti Vedanta movement. The Orissa Govt should strictly order the Police to make a public statement why they abducted Lado in such a manner and why they refused to acknowledge Lado had been whisked away by them when asked by media persons.

Prafulla Samantara
Lok Shakti Abhijan
Mobile: 9437259005

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