Rally Sends Warning To Government On Displacement

Rally sends warning to govt on displacement

SNS & PTI, BERHAMPUR

25th May 2006

Social organisations, including Maoist sympathisers, today vowed to support tribal movements against displacement caused by industrial projects in Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh.

"In 1967 when the Naxalite movement began at Naxalbari in West Bengal as many as 11 persons were gunned down. A similar incident has occurred in Kalinga Nagar in Orissa where 13 innocent tribals were killed in police firing that compelled us to protest," Naxalite ideologue and convener of Revolutionary Writers' Association Mr Varvara Rao said. Mr Rao, who had come here to attend the 39th anniversary of Naxalite movement said: "The initial fight was against imperialism, but now we must fight the forces of multinational companies."

"Police must stop fake encounters, arrest and torture of tribals supporting the movement," he said warning that the government would have to face the "consequence" of these acts. Tribals are being driven out of their homeland, forests are being cleared and all steps to facilitate MNCs and World Bank dictated policies are taken.

Mr Rao accused the government of using brute force to curb democratic movement of people. Naxalism cannot be countered by force as it provides an alternative political system, he said. A large rally was taken out by the Revolutionary Democratic Front and 'Daman Pratirodh Manch' (DPM) here. Around 2,000 people, mostly tribals from Rayagada, Kandhamal, Malkangiri and Ganjam districts, attended the rally raising slogans against government's "oppressive measures" at places where industries were coming up. In view of the gathering of Naxalite sympathisers, as many as 10 platoons of police were deployed at different places of Berhampur.
The DPM convener, Mr Dandapani Mohanty, said "everywhere tribals are at the receiving end. Unless atrocities against tribals come to an end, the situation will continue to worsen in the four states."