: A dawn to dusk hartal, spearheaded by tribal organisations, disrupted normal life in Gajapati district of Odisha on Monday
Adivasi Mahasangh, a tribal organisation, had called for a hartal demanding proper action by the State government in relation to the suicide of Sunita Raita, a tribal nursing student at R.Udaygiri on August 13. Other tribal organisations like Kui Samanwaya Samity, Adivasi Surakshya Manch as well as political parties like Odisha Jan Morcha (OJM) and CPI extended support to this hartal.
Vehicular movement was disrupted all over the district. No passenger buses travelled in the district and outside. Shops, trading centres and educational institutions remained closed. In several places of the district, banks had to pull down the shutters due to picketing by agitators.
The tribals demanded that the police initiate criminal action against former collector Basudev Panigrahy and former Project Administrator (PA) of Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) in Gajapati district, K.K.Rath.
Speaking to The Hindu , Abraham Gamang, president of Adivasi Mahasangh, said that Sunita, in her suicide note, blamed Mr Rath and Mr Bahinipati for her suicide as their insensitivity was responsible for the delay in sanction of the stipend.
Meanwhile, the government has transferred Mr Bahinipati from Gajapati district and suspended Mr Rath. But, the tribals feel it to be inadequate. The tribals are also not satisfied with the compensation of one lakh rupees provided by the State government to the family of Sunita and demanded a compensation of 20 lakh rupees instead.
