No more Kandhamals!

Photo credit:
Deepak Srinivasan, Maraa

In August 2008, one of the worst communal genocide attempts on the Christian community occurred in Orissa's Kandhamal district, among India's poorest places. Over 100 people including women, differently-abled, children, Adivasis and Dalits were killed. 3 women were gang raped and many were injured. 295 churches were destroyed. Educational and medical institutions were not spared. 15,000 fearful and threatened survivors who cannot return to their villages unless they convert to Hinduism are still living in tents. Read more


The high displacement in the last two years, hellish life in refugee camps and the breakdown of many families due to poverty have affected the aggrieved, psychologically. Minor and adolescent girls are being trafficked for 'security' and livelihood. Widespread ostracisation of Christians in Kandhamal affected adult employment and children's education. The meagre government compensation was insufficient for the immediate medical needs of many.

While Sangh Parivar followers attacked Adivasis and Dalits, the administration stood either as a silent spectator or indirectly supported the violence. The state's deliberately negligent behaviour is common where the population primarily comprises marginalized communities like Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST as per official jargon). From 3300 victims' complaints filed in the local police stations, only 831 were registered as FIR's most of which are pending inquiry. The minimal investigations and bias have acquitted the criminals 'arrogating' them before the minorities.

The attacks on Christians spread to over 10 states in India, hurting the fundamentals of democracy and spiritual harmony. Karnataka recorded the maximum anti-Christian attacks in India in 2009 and is keeping pace this year.


The National Solidarity Forum, a coalition of over 55 organisations nationwide held solidarity events across India. Strongly condemning attacks on religious minorities, it requested all democratic forces to unitedly fight the rising communal fascism. Appealing to all peace loving people in the country to support the cause for justice in Kandhamal, it demanded:

* Prosecution of - police personnel who failed to register FIR's and encouraged the communal violence in Kandhamal
- those responsible for forcing conversions to Hinduism
- relevant administrative officials for dereliction of duty

* Transfer of investigation to CBI/SIT

* Compensation for - houses destroyed in mass arson
- victims of gender violence,
- loss of livelihood for two years
- all widows/next of kin of those who died in the riots

* Resettlement in home villages with full land rights and security

* Employment of men and women victims

* Counseling for traumatised children, women and men

* Rehabilitation of children, especially girls whose education is interrupted

* Reissue of property documents and educational certificates destroyed

* Implementation of a witness protection scheme and provision of necessary assistance to survivors to ensure their court testimony

* Repeal the Orissa Freedom of Religion Act, 1967, which fuels prejudicial attitudes towards religious minorities

* Establishment of a State Commission for Minorities, like its national counterpart

Photo credit:
Deepak Srinivasan, Maraa

Peoples’ Solidarity Concerns (PSC), Student Christian Movement, India (SCM-I), St. Joseph's College of Arts and Science, Visthar and The Other Media-Communications (TOMC) were among those who organized a protest outside Town Hall, Bangalore, on 25th August, 2010. These groups also facilitated a talk by Dr. Ram Puniyani on "Color of Terror: Saffron, Green or Black" on 10th September 2010 in Bangalore. Dr. Puniyani, Prof. Ninan Koshy and Mr. Jagadish Chandra of PSC subsequently responded to questions.

A set of poignant sketches by two artists whom the violence directly impacted is here.


Pushpa Achanta
(The author is a freelance writer, a Fellow of Citizen News Service (CNS) Writers' Bureau, and a community volunteer based in Bangalore, India)

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Opposing the auction of Karnataka

Over a hundred people from Karnataka representing various human rights groups/issues gathered on the rainy evening of 3rd June 2010 on the steps of Bangalore's Town Hall. Using informative leaflets and slogans, we jointly protested the two day Global Investors Meet (GIM) held in Bangalore that day and the next. Read more

Demanding people and environment friendly development, we questioned the Karnataka Chief Minister's prior claims that the GIM would generate investments worth three lakh crores and around three lakh new jobs. This equates to one position created for an investment of one crore. However, if the same amount is invested in small and medium industries, twenty jobs can be created for every crore. Further, as per government data from the department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (http://dipp.nic.in/fdi_statistics/india_fdi_index.htm), the total foreign direct investment (FDI) approved in Karnataka between 2000-2010 is around thirty thousand crores and the actual amount invested less than that. So how would three lakh crores be realised in two days? And how many jobs would be created actually?

The government had approved Zuari fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd. to establish a urea plant in Mastihole village of Hukkeri taluk in Belgaum district costing four thounsand five hundred and sixty five crores. This was supposed to create fifteen hundred and sixty jobs, i.e., an investment of three crores per job! Similarly, there is a proposal by India Cements limited to establish a two MTPA cement plant and sixty megawatt coal based thermal power plant at Ganapur in Burugupalli village of Chincholi taluk in Gulbarga district investing eight hundred and fifty crores. Only one hundred and seventy five additional jobs are promised implying that five crores are required for a job. [Sources: Government Orders (GO) CI 27 SPI 2010, CI 32 SPI 2010]

Loss of land, employment, money, resources...

The state has already acquired fifty thousand acres for its prospective 'land bank' and is adding hundred thousand. Estimating conservatively that farming on an acre of land supports minimum five people, the land being acquired will support seven lakh fifty thousand people at least! Assuming that the GIM really creates three lakh positions and that they all are are distributed among those who lost jobs due to land acquisition, it still leaves four hundred and fifty thousand people unemployed. Although the government claims that mostly non-agricultural land was taken, the relevant gazette notifications refute this. For instance, GO CI66SPQ2010, Bangalore, 17/02/2010 states that fifteen hundred and forty two acres of land has been acquired in Bailahongala village of Belgaum district, of which only 0.2% is barren.

Moreover, most of the funding will be through bank loans comprising our savings or taxes accumulated with state owned banks. Effectively, people's money will be diverted to the private companies and return as FDI! And Special Economic Zones (SEZ's) housing the corporations grant them umpteen sops at the expense of the lives and livelihoods of already marginalized dalits, adivasis, etc.

Importantly, Karnataka is facing an acute electricity crisis and water shortage with many urban and rural areas having eight to sixteen hour power outages and water supply only twice or thrice a week. But such destructive industries are provided massively subsidized water and electricity while small farmers commit suicide.

Why is this whole process being rushed through without public and political consultations? The state must adopt an inclusive developmental approach and strengthen local economic systems instead of decreasing people's purchasing power. We strongly objected the investor led development model which sheds human blood instead of human welfare as in Orissa recently. Convinced that by organizing the GIM the state government has sold Karnataka, piece by piece, we appealed to all citizens of Karnataka to resist it.

Pushpa Achanta
Photo credits (all three photographs): Salila Prasada Vanka

Arbitrary and illegal arrest of 'Nishan' Editor Lenin Roy

Arbitrary and illegal arrest of 'Nishan' Editor Lenin Roy

Lenin Kumar Roy, the editor of Nishan, a Left oriented quarterly magazine published from Bhuvaneshwar (Orissa state in India) was arrested on 7 December 2008 around 1-1.30 pm and sent to jail on charges of writing provocative literature which as per the police version and the official report would disturb communal peace and harmony.

The police did not stop here.

It also arrested two employees of Sovan Press, Bhubaneswar, after conducting a raid on it for printing the book ‘Dharma naanre Kandhamalre Raktara Nadi’ published by Lenin Kumar. This was done at the Sahid Nagar Police Station.

When the activists came to know of this from Mrs Rumita Kundu, Lenin’s wife, they contacted the officer in-charge of police station in the night who told them that he had been picked up for verification and he would be released within one hour or so.

In the meantime, the police was planning something nefarious. They were writing down documents preparing grounds for his so-called “Maoist links”. The said book was alleged to be ‘Maoist literature’. Next day, he was produced in the court and the police alleged crime under Section 153-A and 295-A of Indian Penal Code (IPC) which relate to ‘publishing provocative literature which can disturb communal peace and harmony’. The police cited page 38 to 41 of the above book. And what do those pages have in them? They produce a letter allegedly written by the RSS (Hindu right-wing fundamentalist group) to its members for anti dalit, anti minority activities and also have some of Lenin’s comments on this.

So, in India (and particularly in Orissa) it is a crime to write anything against the RSS or to produce an RSS letter or to comment upon it- more so if the government is supported by the BJP!

But the actual reason goes even more deeper. In reality, Lenin had become a pain in the neck for the Navin Patnaik government which has completely failed in protecting the minority rights in the Kandhamal episode and has proved to be blatantly partisan and completely ineffective on law and order front. Unfortunately, he has been consistently raising voice of dissent for last one year or so in the pages of Nissan on all these related matters, a fact that was to great distaste of the establishment, be it the Chief Minister and his party or the supporting ally BJP. In August 2008, Nishan was labeled as a Maoist organ by SP Jagatsinghpur though the editor had protested this allegation.

This is not the lone instance of the Orissa government coming up heavily against the dissenting members of the intelligentsia and the media who are critical about the government’s activities. A few months ago, Rabindra Prasad Panda, a prominent Oriya writer, was sent to jail by the Orissa government for writing a book, using similar Sections of the IPC.

Thus as the NDTV has rightly said- “Orissa cops have taken the term gag order to a new level altogether.”

I am never able to understand what does the police force in this Nation want to prove by arresting people like Lenin Ray. Is it not completely shameful and highly deplorable and atrocious? What is Lenin's fault- that he writes Maoist literature, that he speaks the language of Marxism, Leninism and Communism? Is this a free country we are living in?

I don't think there can be anything more condemnable than this- to arrest a magazine's Editor just because he sympathizes for a cause which every right-minded must be and internally is. I have not seen any sensitive person in the world who is not sympathetic to the poor and the downtrodden, who does not want all these differences and economic disparities and exploitations to end, who wants every person to be able to live a good life.

While the police force of this country is completely helpless before the terrorists and the extremists who kill them whenever they feel like, they never leave a chance to arrest such law-abiding and righteous persons who have a definite purpose in their life and are sacrificing it for the common man.

I don’t know what will happen to our country where such local dictators who only want bards and sycophants around them. While it can be the case with the political persons, how can this be true also with the intellectuals and the Media? Is this the way our Constitution makers had envisaged our Chief Ministers and governments to behave? The Media is known as the fourth estate and the watchdog of a democratic society. But can any society function properly if its chosen representatives are so intolerant, biased, personally stymied and spiteful as to pursue matters on a personal level and stop any person from expressing his/her views.

Lenin's arrest is a blot on our society and must be resisted by each one of us as an example of complete dictatorship. Is this a free Nation?

Dr Nutan Thakur

(The author is the editor of 'Nutan Satta Pravah' and also represents Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS) in Lucknow. She can be contacted at: drnutanthakur@yahoo.com)

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Arbitrary and illegal arrest of 'Nishan' Editor Lenin Roy

Arbitrary and illegal arrest of 'Nishan' Editor Lenin Roy

Lenin Kumar Roy, the editor of Nishan, a Left oriented quarterly magazine published from Bhuvaneshwar (Orissa state in India) was arrested on 7 December 2008 around 1-1.30 pm and sent to jail on charges of writing provocative literature which as per the police version and the official report would disturb communal peace and harmony.

The police did not stop here.

It also arrested two employees of Sovan Press, Bhubaneswar, after conducting a raid on it for printing the book ‘Dharma naanre Kandhamalre Raktara Nadi’ published by Lenin Kumar. This was done at the Sahid Nagar Police Station.

When the activists came to know of this from Mrs Rumita Kundu, Lenin’s wife, they contacted the officer in-charge of police station in the night who told them that he had been picked up for verification and he would be released within one hour or so.

In the meantime, the police was planning something nefarious. They were writing down documents preparing grounds for his so-called “Maoist links”. The said book was alleged to be ‘Maoist literature’. Next day, he was produced in the court and the police alleged crime under Section 153-A and 295-A of Indian Penal Code (IPC) which relate to ‘publishing provocative literature which can disturb communal peace and harmony’. The police cited page 38 to 41 of the above book. And what do those pages have in them? They produce a letter allegedly written by the RSS (Hindu right-wing fundamentalist group) to its members for anti dalit, anti minority activities and also have some of Lenin’s comments on this.

So, in India (and particularly in Orissa) it is a crime to write anything against the RSS or to produce an RSS letter or to comment upon it- more so if the government is supported by the BJP!

But the actual reason goes even more deeper. In reality, Lenin had become a pain in the neck for the Navin Patnaik government which has completely failed in protecting the minority rights in the Kandhamal episode and has proved to be blatantly partisan and completely ineffective on law and order front. Unfortunately, he has been consistently raising voice of dissent for last one year or so in the pages of Nissan on all these related matters, a fact that was to great distaste of the establishment, be it the Chief Minister and his party or the supporting ally BJP. In August 2008, Nishan was labeled as a Maoist organ by SP Jagatsinghpur though the editor had protested this allegation.

This is not the lone instance of the Orissa government coming up heavily against the dissenting members of the intelligentsia and the media who are critical about the government’s activities. A few months ago, Rabindra Prasad Panda, a prominent Oriya writer, was sent to jail by the Orissa government for writing a book, using similar Sections of the IPC.

Thus as the NDTV has rightly said- “Orissa cops have taken the term gag order to a new level altogether.”

I am never able to understand what does the police force in this Nation want to prove by arresting people like Lenin Ray. Is it not completely shameful and highly deplorable and atrocious? What is Lenin's fault- that he writes Maoist literature, that he speaks the language of Marxism, Leninism and Communism? Is this a free country we are living in?

I don't think there can be anything more condemnable than this- to arrest a magazine's Editor just because he sympathizes for a cause which every right-minded must be and internally is. I have not seen any sensitive person in the world who is not sympathetic to the poor and the downtrodden, who does not want all these differences and economic disparities and exploitations to end, who wants every person to be able to live a good life.

While the police force of this country is completely helpless before the terrorists and the extremists who kill them whenever they feel like, they never leave a chance to arrest such law-abiding and righteous persons who have a definite purpose in their life and are sacrificing it for the common man.

I don’t know what will happen to our country where such local dictators who only want bards and sycophants around them. While it can be the case with the political persons, how can this be true also with the intellectuals and the Media? Is this the way our Constitution makers had envisaged our Chief Ministers and governments to behave? The Media is known as the fourth estate and the watchdog of a democratic society. But can any society function properly if its chosen representatives are so intolerant, biased, personally stymied and spiteful as to pursue matters on a personal level and stop any person from expressing his/her views.

Lenin's arrest is a blot on our society and must be resisted by each one of us as an example of complete dictatorship. Is this a free Nation?

Dr Nutan Thakur

(The author is the editor of 'Nutan Satta Pravah' and also represents Institute for Research and Documentation in Social Sciences (IRDS) in Lucknow. She can be contacted at: drnutanthakur@yahoo.com)

Published in
Asian Tribune, Thailand/ Sri Lanka
Two Circles
Ghana News, Accra, Ghana
Media for Freedom, Kathmandu, Nepal
News Blaze, USA
Northern News Lines, Chandigarh
Thai Indian News, Bangkok, Thailand
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