FAKE ENCOUNTER KILLING OF ANTI MINING ACTIVISTS

Surya Shankar Dash 11 January at 12:28 

Dear Friends, 

The last few weeks have witnessed the most gruesome and horrific cold blooded murders by security forces of several people including a 12-year-old Adivasi girl from Kalinga Nagar as well as one of the most committed activists of the Niyamgiri struggle. Also anti mining activists of Gandhamardhan have been killed. All in the name of fighting Maoism.

The media is tomtomming the achievement of the security forces as a major breakthrough in 'crushing red terror' and hunting down 'dreaded left wing extremists'. Please find some weblinks below about the shocking incidents. Also find an article that appeared in the Frontline where the Niyamgiri activist Lenju predicts that one day the police will brand them as Maoists and kill them. Sources say that Lenju and others were surrounded and killed while they were sleeping.

In Kalinga Nagar, some sources say that the encounter was styled in the classic fake encounter manner where people already detained by the police where taken to the forest and shot dead. That included 12-year-old Janga from Baligotha village who had gone missing since the police had attacked and destroyed her village in April 2010. This encounter happened a day before the 5th anniversay of the Kalinga Nagar massacre where 14 Adivasi men, women and children were killed by the police for oppossing Tata steel's project.

While in Gandhamardhan, the slain activists are ironically members of the BJP. It is probably the most emblematic cases amongst fake encounters in the war against the communist guerrillas where people with right wing political affiliations were killed and branded as left wing extremists. Vedanta is one of the companies that has been trying to acquire mining rights for Gandhamardhan hill.

While all this mayhem is unleashed upon people by the police, the corporations have been making major announcements. Vedanta has gone to court challenging the MoEF's decision. Tata has released statements that they will turn Kalinga Nagar into Jamsedhpur. 

To establish the interests of these corporations our Govts are being used to kill innocent children, women and those activists who start moblising people. The Maoists are definitely to be blamed for their dogmatic attitudes towards democratic movements and for endorsing violence more than their ideology. In the absence of a third force in this war of ideologies the possibility of lessening of violence seems unlikely. This third force has to be all of us who want to eliminate injustice, discrimination and exploitation without picking up guns. 

To start with we have to register our opinion about the way media reports on these killings, celebrating the death of people as if some big evil force has been defeated. All news agencies without exception have been rendered into propaganda publishers of the Govt and the Corporations. Let's not forget the shocking expose of the media a few months ago when the Radia tapes were made public. Let's not forget that it was Nira Radia (PR Agent) who told Vir Sanghvi (Top Journalist) "We (tata steel) are fighting the Maoists in Kalinga Nagar." Let's not allow the Nira Radias to brand our movements and pave the way for such horrific brutalities. 

Here are the weblinks (some are disgusting the way they report but that is the only media coverage one finds)

Gandhamardhan Fake Encounter:

http://www.sify.com/finance/shutdown-by-anti-mining-group-hits-life-in-orissa-news-default-lbdouhihijh.html

http://expressbuzz.com/biography/fearing-wolves-but-slaughtering-lambs/237644.html

Lenju's statement:
http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2712/stories/20100618271203700.htm

Rayagada fake encounter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZXZzG9RI0o

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/Top-rebel-killed-in-Rayagada-encounter-cops/articleshow/7255998.cms

Kalinga Nagar Fake encounter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUkPBYVEG48

http://orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=23617

Photo of Janga, the 12-year-old girl:

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1083109082#!/photo.php?fbid=1642674781745&set=a.1642674261732.2081538.1083109082

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Adv

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Peace Is Doable

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Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/