[Reader-list] Join Joint Protest Demonstration Against the Massacre of Adivasis of Bijapur

[asit das]

*Invitation*

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*Join Joint Protest Demonstration Against the Massacre of Adivasis of
Bijapur*

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*Date: 17th July (Tuesday) 2012, Time: 11 AM   *

*Place: Chattisgarh Bhavan, Chanakyapuri, Delhi*

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*Dear friends,*



          Recently the Indian state has intensified its eviction and
extermination campaign against the adivasis of central and eastern India
under the rubric of Operation Green Hunt. On the night of 28 June 2012 when
the adivasi peasants of Sarkeguda, Kottaguda and Rajpenta (Bijapur district
of south Chhattisgarh) gathered to plan the performance of the traditional
festival Beej Pandum (seed festival), they were surrounded by hundreds of
Police and Para-military forces of the Indian state. The armed forces
resorted to indiscriminate firing killing 17 adivasis (including 6 minors)
cold-blooded. Two other villagers were likewise killed near Jagargunda
village of Sukma district in the same night, and predictably, were shown as
casualties of an ‘encounter’ between the Maoists and the armed forces.

          As the testimonies of the eyewitnesses coming through the Media,
Fact Finding Reports of different Civil / Democratic Right Teams and the
statements of different social-political forces (including the Congress
Party of Chhattisgarh ) now confirm that the killing of the adivasis was a
heinous massacre committed by the Cobra battalion of the CRPF and the
Chhattisgarh Police, under the command of top police officials. Even the Union
Tribal Minister Mr. K C Deo has said that ‘17 innocent citizens, who were
unarmed, who were wearing just a dhoti or a *baniyan* and who did not even
have a sickle or a knife’ had been killed by the CRPF.

But still the central Home Minister and the top officials of CRPF are
claiming that these adivasis have been killed in a "fierce" gunfight in the
dense jungles of Dantewada on June 27-28 in a joint anti-Maoist operation
by the CRPF and state police. This is really a matter of grave concern for
all the justice loving progressive and democratic forces of our country.

We, the under signed progressive, democratic and civil rights organizations
working in Delhi have decided to show our anguish and concern in front
of  Chhattisgarh
Bhavan, Chanakyapuri on 17th July 2012 at 11 AM, in the form of a Protest
Demonstration.

We earnestly appeal to you / your organization to join us at Chhattisgarh
Bhavan to make the protest programme successful. Hope your positive
responses.

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*PUDR, SFR, KYS, KNS, INKLABHI MAZDOOR KENDR, People’s Front, AIFTU (New),
REDICAL NOTES, MAZDOOR PATRIKA, SANHATI, PDFI, PUCL, National Confederation
of Human Rights Organisations (NCHRO), Vidyarthi Yuvjan Sabha***