Kalinga Nagar Update-tribals Refuse To Receive Chopped Off Palms

KALINGA NAGAR UPDATE

Tribals refuse to receive chopped off palms

Sambad

24th May 2006

Jajpur: The relatives of police firing victims of Kalinga Nagar tribals on Tuesday refused to accept the chopped off palms from the district administration and returned empty handed. As many as 13 tribals were killed in police firing on January 2 last. They were protesting the construction of a compound wall of the Tata Steel project at Kalinga Nagar.

Of the 12 tribals, killed on the spot, the district authorities had chopped off palms of five tribals for identification during the post-mortem. The shocking incident had caused much hue and cry and the state government was later directed by the Human Rights Commission to return the chopped off palms to the next kin of the victims. The Jajpur district authorities had earlier contacted the tribals, who were on an indefinite road blockade since January 2 incident protesting the police firing, to take back the chopped off palms.

The tribals initially agreed to receive the palms but later did not turn up as per the schedule. However, after much persuasion, they finally agreed to come to the district headquarters hospital to receive the palms. District officials said the six tribals, who arrived at the hospital to receive the palms, refused to accept expressing their doubt over the genuineness of the chopped off palms. All efforts of the district administration to convince the tribals that the chopped off palms were preserved after proper identification of the victims yielded no result. The chopped palms were later packed and kept in the district headquarters hospital.