[Reader-list] Protest Against Killing of Anti-POSCO Protesters and Forcible Acquisition of Land in Odisha

[Asit Das]

*Protest Against Killing of Anti-POSCO Protesters and Forcible Acquisition
of Land in Odisha*



*Odisha Bhawan, 1 Niti Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi *

*12 noon, 9th March (Saturday), 2013*



In the continuum of brutal attacks on the struggle against forcible land
acquisition for a POSCO steel plant in Odisha, the most recent case of
blatant violence perpetrated by the corporate–police-goonda nexus in the
region saw the murder of 4 people in Jagatsinghpur district.

On 2nd March, hired musclemen of POSCO with the full complicity of Odisha
Police threw bombs at anti-POSCO activists in Patana village, in which 4
activists were killed and several others were seriously injured. Out of the
4, 3 were killed as a direct consequence of the police’s refusal to arrive
at the spot for 15 hours after the bombing, or arrange for an ambulance to
take the injured to a hospital.

The active connivance between the POSCO management and local contractors
along with the Odisha Government to violently suppress the anti-POSCO
struggle through every unconstitutional and illegal means, from hiring
criminal elements to intimidation and murder of local activists
spearheading the movement, has exposed the extent to which they are willing
to bypass the law to bulldoze their way by means by brute force.

Matters have not stopped there, again on 5th March 2013, 12 platoons of
armed police led by the District Collector and SP forcibly entered
Gobindpur village and destroyed more than 25 betel vines - the major source
of livelihood of the protesting villagers.

The Odisha government is going ahead with the forcible land acquisition for
the steel plant despite the fact that POSCO does not have an environmental
clearance for the project. The environmental clearance given by the
Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on January 31, 2011 was
suspended by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on 30 March 2012. POSCO does
not even have a valid memorandum of understanding with the State government
now. The one it had signed on July 22, 2005 lapsed on July 21, 2010 and no
fresh MoU has been signed so far.

We strongly condemn this complete disregard for any kind of democratic
processes, and the blatant use of brute force through police as well as
goons to brutally crush the movement that is going on in the region. We
call on all democratic and progressive organizations and individuals to
condemn the violence and protest against the Odisha Government’s naked
support towards POSCO, where it is ready to murder its own citizens so that
POSCO may set up its steel plant.

*People’s Struggle Against Corporate – State Nexus Long Live!*



*All India Platform for Labour Rights,  All India Students' Association,
Delhi Solidarity Group, INSAF, Hero Honda Theka Mazdoor Sangathan, New
Materialists - JNU, New Socialist Initiative, POSCO Pratirodh Solidarity
Delhi, People's Union for Civil Liberties, People's Union for Democratic
Rights, Pragatisheel Yuva Sangathan, Women Against Sexual Violence & State
Repression, Sanhati, Socialist Front, Stree Mukti Sangathan, Student for
Resistance  *
-- 
Naveen Chander
New Socialist Initiative
Phone: 9013074978
http://nsi-delhi.blogspot.com