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Police Repression In Kashipur

19 January, 2005

The Fishing Community in India Protest Against Police Repression on Adivasis in Orissa

The National Fishworkers Forum (a coalition of several fisherpeople’s unions all over India) along with the Kerala Independent Fishworkers Federation strongly condemns the brutal repression unleashed by the police and paramilitary forces aimed at crushing the democratic resistance of the people of Kashipur and surrounding areas in Orissa against the displacement by the bauxite mining companies.

For over a month, two police platoons with firing orders have been stationed near Kucheipadar – the hub of the bauxite mining resistance struggle for more than 10 years. 14 people arrested on different charges have been kept in jail and all efforts to release them on bail are proving useless. The moment some one is released on bail, he/she is again booked in another case and sent to jail again. Two tribal women agitators have been kept in jail since December 1,2004. The bailers from the tribal communities also have been threatened with dire consequences if they approach the court to release the arrested adivasis. Every night one or the other village is raided without any reason. We condemn the actions of the police force entering adivasi homes in the name of searching for activists to create terror so that the multinationals can have a free access to the adivasi lands. The active collusion of the bauxite mining lobby represented by the UAIL with the police force is clear from the fact that prominent UAIL representatives are also stationed with the police platoons.

This is not the first time the Orissa government is using brutal force on the democratic struggle of the adivasis in Kashipur. On 16th December 2000, the Orissa police in an unprovoked firing killed three adivasis and injured thirty others in the village Maikanch. The fisherpeople’s unions in the country warn the Orissa government that if the police force in Orissa is let lose on the adivasis, the unions attached to NFF will do everything within their means to support and resist such injustice.

The fishing community in this country recognises that the fight of the fisherpeople against globalisation is same as that of the adivasis. Both fishing communities and adivasis face similar invasion of profit interests over the natural resources we depend upon for our survival. We hereby express our solidarity with the struggle of adivasis in Kashipur against the corporate crimes in the name of development.

The National Fishworkers Forum and The Kerala Fishworkers Federation hereby demand:
1. an immediate withdrawal of all paramilitary and armed police force from Kashipur area
2. drop all charges against local adivasis and dalits who are part of the Kashipur movement and also activists who have gone there to support their cause
3. Initiate immediate criminal and other appropriate action against all persons who have been indicted in the P.K MIshra commission Inquiry Report ( On the Maikanch Firing of December 16, 2000).
4. an immediate halt to the invasion of bauxite companies over the lives, livelihood and life supporting natural resources of adivasis in the region

We call upon all democratic forces in this country to express solidarity and support to the struggling adivasis of Kashipur.

(Sd)
T. Peter(President)Kerala Fishworkers Federation, Valiathura, Trivandrum – 695 008(Secretary) National Fisheworkers Forum Phone: 094472705239, 0471-2705239


 

 

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