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Release of Oriya writer demanded

Special Correspondent

100 writers, journalists and human rights activists stage protest

He published a book on communal riot
in Kandhamal
Kumar and two others were arrested on Monday

BHUBANESWAR: About 100 writers, journalists and human rights activists of the State staged a dharna here on Thursday to protest against arrest of the publisher of a book on the recent communal violence in Kandhamal district .

The activists and writers demanded for the unconditional release of the publisher of the book, Lenin Kumar, and two employees of the printing press where the book was published.

The city police had arrested Mr. Kumar and two others on Sunday taking exception to some pages of the book titled “Dharma Naanre Kandhamalare Raktanadee” (Bloodshed in Kandhamal in the name of religion’.

The pages of the book to which the police had taken exception pertained to a secret letter of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, according to Biswapriya Kanungo, human rights activist and counsel for Mr. Kumar.

Mr. Kumar, who is the editor of Oriya quarterly ‘Nisan’, owns Nisan Publication that published the book on the communal riot in Kandhamal.

Those who took part in the protest sit-in outside the Raj Bhavan held placards and banners condemning Mr. Kumar’s arrest and blaming the police for muzzling the right to dissent.

They also submitted a memorandum at the Raj Bhavan seeking release of Mr. Kumar and two employees of the city-based Sovan Printing Press.

Mr. Kumar and the two others, who had been arrested under Sections 153A, 295A and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, were remanded to judicial custody by a local court on Monday.

The police had swung into action and booked Mr. Kumar in the wake of the appearance of Maoist posters in different localities of the Capital city.

The posters, which bore the name of Communist Party of India (Maoist), warned people against joining organisations such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.

The police had seized some posters and registered a case, but no one has been arrested in this connection so far.

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