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13 Oct 2010

Odisha Human Rights Violations


                                                Aug 23-31,2010                              
Young Advocate dead in Police firing
A practicing advocate was killed in police firing during a police-public clash at Bagalpur, about 30 km from here on Niali Road on Monday 23rd August 2010 morning. While Cuttack (rural) SP Rajat Kanti Mishra and 15 other police personnel were injured in stone-pelting, at least 20 others are stated to have received injuries when police resorted to lathi charge to quell the protestors who had staged a road blockade since Sunday evening.
The incident as unfortunate said district collector Mr Kishore Mohanty, in the meantime he has ordered a crime branch enquiry into the entire incident, including the police firing and announced a compensation of Rs. 1 lakh to the family of the deceased lawyer. Lawyers of the High Court on the other hand have demanded Rs. 20 lakh as damages to the bereaved family and provide a government job to the widow of the lawyer.
More than 5,000 villagers of the locality had staged the road blockade since Sunday evening demanding proper police investigations into the death of a local youth—Pradip Samantray, whose body was found lying in a pool of blood near Bagalpur Bazar on Friday morning.While police claim that Pradip's death was due to road accident, locals maintain that it was a pre-planned murder.
Intending to clear the traffic, police in the morning arrived to pacify and reason with the striking villagers. But soon heated words were exchanged between police and protestors and a group gheraoed the SP and started pelting stones at the police and other officials present on the spot. In order to quell the stone-pelting protestors, police opened fire. According to sources, police fired eight rounds in which an advocate of the locality Bishnu Das was killed. Das, a promising young advocate practicing in Cuttack criminal court had reportedly gone there to pick up his mother, a local school teacher.
As soon as the body of Das arrived here in the evening for post mortem, a visibly shocked group of his fellow-lawyers went restive and hit the roads demanding adequate compensation and stringent action against the police who opened fire and the magistrate who gave the firing orders.
 Even as the State government on Tuesday announced a judicial probe into Monday's Bagalpur police firing in which a young lawyer was killed and sanctioned a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the bereaved family, protest and demands for CBI enquiry into the matter and more compensation to the family also marked the day here.
A PIL had been filed in the Orissa High Court urging CBI enquiry into the death of the lawyer Bishnu Charan Dash while the lawyers of the city boycotted courts, including the High Court on Tuesday in protest.
       Police misbehaved a sitting Judge
.Two police office one Inspector of Madhupatna police station A K Pahi and assistant sub-inspector of Badambadi police outpost Ranjan Kumar Naik were seriously misbehaved the judge of Orissa High Court Mr Pradeep Kumar Mohanty who was returning home from Bhubaneswar with his wife in his private car on 22nd August night.
While on patrolling duty at Badambadi bus terminus on Sunday night, both had allegedly misbehaved with the judge despite the judge informed about him. The HC initiated contempt proceedings against the two officers who were released on bail after surrendering in the court.
The State government on Thursday suspended two police officers of the police Commissionerate here for their alleged misbehaviour with a High Court judge. The growing police atrocities in Odisha now a matter of great concern.
                             Under trial Prisoner Killed in Jail
An under trial prisoner was allegedly beaten to death by his rivals inside Aska sub-jail in Ganjam district on Tuesday 24th August 2010 night.
The deceased, Suresh Nahak (26) was an under trial prisoner in the jail. Three major criminal cases including a murder were pending against him. According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) prisons of Berhampur
Notorious gangster Bikram mallick and other five inmates of Aska sub-jail were involved in the murder of Nahak. The six assaulters had forcibly entered the ward of the deceased while the roll call of the sub-jail was on. It is alleged that Nahak could not escape from the clutches of his attackers as his legs were in chains.
Jail officials managed to take control of the situation and Nahak was rescued from his attackers. He was initially treated by the jail doctor and later shifted to Aska hospital. Later, he was shifted to MKCG medical college hospital, where doctors declared him as ‘brought dead'. Mr. Das said he suspected past rivalry between criminal gangs may be the reason behind the attack. A case was registered at Aska police station.
Seven jail staffers, including the Superintendent of the Aska sub-jail, were suspended for negligence in duty following the jail DIG's report on the killing of an under trial prisoner.
After this incident, the security is now a question for all inmates of jails in Odisha.
               Anti-Displacement Activist Arrested as Maoist
 Loda Sikaka, a young anti-displacement activist prominently known for opposing mining at Niyamgiri hills by Vedant arrested recently by the Lanjigarh police before AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi visit to Kalahandhi on 26th August 2010.
Loda is known to be an anti-Vedanta activist and was recently picked up by the Rayagada police,allegedly being involved in Maoist activities. He was being kept by the police in an unknown place, allegedly severe beaten by the police then left him after keeping three days in custody.
 On Thursday, Loda not only garlanded Rahul but also addressed the gathering; latter reported the media about the police torture on him.
The police atrocities in Odisha particularly on indigenous people are growing day by day. In the name of Maoist the police arresting innocent people and send them behind bar.
                     State mulling legal clinics in schools
 Chief Justice of Orissa High Court Justice V. Gopal Gouda here on Saturday 28th August said legal clinics would soon be established to create legal awareness among children.
Addressing chief functionaries at the district level on importance of legal aid services in poverty alleviation programmes, Justice Gouda said as many as 5,615 will be established in high school level.
Children would be sensitised on their rights, ecology and environment in the clinics, said Chief Justice of the High Court here.


                 Farmers’ body stirs for higher compensation

The Kalinga Nagar Chasi Suraksha Sangh’s gana (mass) dharna at the Danagadi tehsil office in support of its eight-point charter of demands has been continuing for the past 18 days.

The Sangh members demand an additional `4 lakh compensation per acre for their land acquired for industries at Kalinga Nagar. Earlier, they were paid `1 lakh per acre. Pointing out that Tata Steel is paying higher amount to land loser for its steel plant in Kalinga Nagar, they argue that Jindal, VISA, NINL and other industries should also pay the same compensation.

The other demands include permanent job to every land loser and stop misuse of groundwater and environmental pollution.

A public meeting was held at Danagadi on Thursday 26th August in support,
the meeting passed a resolution that the dharna would continue until the demands are fulfilled. The land losers belong to Mantira, Jakhapura, Trijanga and Baragadia gram panchayats.

                                                September 1-6,2010

Five convicted in Kandhamal riots case
Staff Reporter
BERHAMPUR: Five persons were convicted and 75 others were acquitted by two Fast Track courts of Phulbani on Monday in three different cases related to communal violence that happened in Kandhamal district in 2008.
The Fast Track Court I decided two cases. The first case was related to arson and rioting at Tentuligada area of Chhatijhara village under Tikabali police station on September 5, 2008.
There were 17 accused in this case. Out of them 12 were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The rest five were convicted and punished with imprisonment of five years and monetary fine worth Rs. 3,000 on each.
The other case settled by the Fast Track Court I was related to the burning of a church at Sarasalanda village under Phulbani Sadar police station on August 29, 2008. Sixty-four persons had been arrested in this case. But the court acquitted all of them due to lack of evidence.
Fast track Court II of Phulbani also acquitted six persons.
They had been arrested in relation to arson and rioting at Drakangia village under G.Udaygiri police station. It was alleged that these six persons had been involved in rioting at the village on October 28, 2008. But the prosecution could not prove the charges against them.


                                      Kandhmal Situation is worse now, alleges OMF

The Odisha Minority Forum on Monday alleged that even after two years of the anti- Christian riots in the State, the Odisha Government has failed to 'wipe the tears' and 'heal the wounds' of the Christian community in Kandhamal.

Speaking at a Press conference here president, Orissa Minority Forum Swarupananda Patra and Archbishop of Cuttack Raphael Cheenath said while the Odisha Government is proactive about compensating industrially displaced people, the same Government exhibits abject behaviour while dealing with the minorities. The compensation of `50,000 for 'fully damaged' and `20,000 for so-called 'partially damaged' houses is grossly inadequate considering the market rates of construction. The State Government, without consulting the victims, arbitrarily fixed such amounts which ensured that all the houses stay half constructed with walls, but with no roofs. .

Everywhere else in the country State Governments have come forward to build houses of minority communities destroyed in similar violence. Similarly, the Odisha Government must follow the example of other State Governments and ensure foolproof investigation of all criminal cases so that the guilty are punished for their heinous crime and are not let of for want of adequate evidence because of shoddy investigations and forensic expertise.

The State Government must reopen all criminal cases and order proper investigation with modern investigative techniques and expert personnel. The State must provide adequate protection to victims and witnesses before, during and after the trials in the Fast Track Courts, they demanded.


                                    Farmer Commits Suicide
Kendrapada-1.09.10-A debt-ridden farmer committed suicide in Kendrapada district on Wednesday by consuming pesticide. Ratnakar Jena (40) hailed from Andara village under Pattamundai block.

Ratnakar allegedly ended his life as he suffered crop failure due to the ongoing dry spell. His brother Bidyadhar Jena told the police that Ratnakar's worries related to the loan burden and possibility of crop loss.

Ratnakar cultivated around three acres of land by taking lease from landlords. He had taken loan of about `23,000, including `15,000 from a local SHG and `8,000 from a Service Cooperative Society. On Wednesday, Ratnakar went to his field and found that his crop was drying up due to lack of rains. Thinking that he would not able to repay the loan, he lost his mental balance and decided to end his life, his brother said.

The police have registered a case of an unnatural death, informed SI of Pattamundai police station Madan Mohan Pradhan.

                        Prisoner commits Suicide in Jail
Keonjhar- 1.09.10-A lifelong prisoner of Keonjhar Jail Nandia Munda  aged 40 years Committed suicide in jail. he has been convicted  in a rape case no 68/2009. The victim is the resident of Suakati village.