Amnesty International (AI) has urged the authorities in Orissa to halt immediately unnecessary and excessive use of force by police and private civil militias on Adivasi (indigenous communities) and peasants protesting against the acquisition of their lands and habitats for steel projects in Kalinganagar and Jagatsinghpur.
In a statement, the AI said “Laxman Jamuda, a 50-year-old Adivasi leader was killed and 10 protesters, including a few women, were injured in police firing and nine others sustained injuries during clashes in Kalinganagar on May 12. Eyewitnesses informed AI that the action involved more than 1,000 police officials against about 300 Adivasi protesters, some of whom armed with traditional weapons.”
Eyewitnesses said “a 200-strong civil militia supporting the takeover of the lands for the proposed Tata Steel plant forced its way into Chandia village where the protesters had gathered; the police went along with the civil militia, allegedly backed by the ruling Biju Janata Dal in Orissa, demolished some of the Adivasi houses. During the resultant clash, the police fired on the protesters, killing Laxman Jamuda, and several others sustained injuries.”
Amnesty noted that at Balithutha in nearby Jagatsinghpur district, at least 20 persons sustained injuries on May 16, three of them seriously, as police used teargas and batons to disperse about 1,000 peasant protesters, including women, against the takeover of their farmland for constructing a plant by the South Korean Pohong Steel Company. Tracing various events, AI reminded the authorities that India was obliged, under international human rights law, to protect the right to life. It urged the Orissa government to: order its police to cease all unnecessary or excessive use of force against the protestors; force should only be used in accordance with international human rights law and standards; ensure that private civil militia do not use force against protesters or break the law in any other way, and treat them like any other offenders if they do; and provide immediate medical assistance to people who have suffered injuries. It wanted an impartial and independent inquiry into unnecessary or excessive use of police force and the violence.
