India: POSCO opponents suffer vicious armed attack
Published by MAC on 2011-12-20Source: POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti
Urgent Appeal launched for support
Recently, Indian villagers began resisting construction of a coastal road for the massive POSCO project, anticipating that pro-company "goons" might soon try breaking down their nonviolent resistance.
See: India: Anti-POSCO leader is arbitrarily arrested
On 14 December, the villagers worst fears seem confirmed when a force of some 500 men allegedly attacked the protestors "using bombs and weapons" and leaving several people injured.
PPSS - the people's organisation behind the protest - is appealing for others to "join hands with us, stand by us and support our cause" (see below).
Urgent Update from POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti
POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti Statement
14th December 2011
Dear Friends,
We are in terrible shock and disbelief having faced more than 500 armed goons engaged by one Mafia don Bapi Circle under the banner of Paradip Industrial Development Council and patronized by the police and administration who forcefully entered the site of our peaceful and non-violent protest around 1.30 pm today and started attacking us by using bombs and weapons.
As a result, at least eight villagers of PPSS were injured and one of them has got serious injury.
From the morning onwards, more than 2000 villagers were making a peaceful demonstration against the construction of a coastal sea road for POSCO. The private goons who had created a scene of terror yesterday did a repeat show today. Their own bombs, apart from injuring our villagers, did also result in killing a member of their own team.
We strongly condemn the conspiracy hatched by the Nabin Patnaik government to engage private militia in order to create a situation of crisis which would demand police intervention. We consider the act as cowardice and no democracy worth its name should tolerate such an act of violence perpetrated by hired goons.
Though the situation is grim and our people are shocked, we are waiting with the same determination to protest peacefully even if the police after creating such a scene tries to enter the village to bulldoze our peaceful and democratic movement.
We request you to please stand up and expose the unethical, unjust and undemocratic means that the state has been using to crush the movement and to make the movement discredited in the eyes of public who don't have a chance to know the real truth behind any act of conspiracy the police and the mafia are hatching everyday.
Please join hands with us, stand by us and support our cause. Please circulate the message as widely as possible. We shall inform you the ongoing development here.
Hoping for more solidarity from you.
Prashant Paikary
Spokesperson,
POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti
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Please Write and Call.....
1. Mr. Shri Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India,
Prime Minister's Office, Room number 152, South Block, New Delhi
Fax: + 91 11 2301 6857;
E.mail: manmohan@sansad.in
2. Mr. P. Chidambaram, Union Minister of Home Affairs,
Ministry of Home Affairs, 104-107 North Block, New Delhi 110 001 India
Fax: +91 11 2309 2979 / 23094221
E.mail hm@nic.in
3. Justice K. G. Balakrishnan, Chairperson, National Human Rights Commission of India, Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi 110 001
Fax: +91 11 2334 0016, Fax No. 23384863
Email: chairnhrc@nic.in; covdnhrc@nic.in, ionhrc@nic.in
4. Naveen Patnaik, Chief Minister,
Odisha
Fax 0674-2535100
E. mail: cmo@ori.nic.in
5. Mr. S. K. Patnayak, Chief Secretary, Government of Odhisa
Fax: 0674 - 2536660
E.mail csori@ori.nic.in
6. Mr. Narayan Chandra Jena, District Collectior,
Jagatsinghpur
Fax: +916724220299
7. Mr. Debadutta Singh, Superintendent of Police
Mobile No: +919437094678, dmjsp@ori.nic.in