Raipur :- Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha has strongly condemned the arrest of more than 25 anti-bauxite mining activists in Koraput, Rayagada and Kalahandi districts of Odisha in the last one month and demanded their unconditional release. These activists, arrested under repressive sections of IPC and black laws like UAPA, also include well-known activists of mass movements like Lingaraj Azad, Lenin Kumar, Dranju Krishika, Krishna and Bari Sikaka, Sadapelli and Dasa Khora. In this episode, Goldman Environment Prize winning activist Praful Samantara was abducted by some pro-corporate goons when he was going to address a press conference.
In a statement issued here today, Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha convenor Sanjay Parate and co-convenor Rishi Gupta and Vakil Bharti have said that the Biju Patnaik government of Odisha is standing with those corporates who are engaged in illegal mining voilating the constitutional rights of tribals and who want to make huge profits by mining bauxite in Niyamgiri, Mali, CGMali and Kutrumali mountains, while the Supreme Court has a clear order that no mining can be done in scheduled tribal areas without establishing forest rights and consent of gram sabhas . These bauxite reserves are being eyed by Adani-Birla whose companies are engaged in illegal mining under the patronage of the government and administration without statutory approval. In the Samata decision, the Supreme Court has clearly stated that private companies cannot do mining in scheduled areas. It is clear from this that the Odisha government is using the police and administration in favour of corporate houses and against tribal rights.
Supporting the ongoing movements for the protection of tribal communities in Odisha, Kisan Sabha leaders have demanded that repressive actions against anti-mining activists in Odisha be stopped and false cases against them be withdrawn and PESA and tribal Forest rights law should be implemented effectively.
