We, concerned citizens and organizations in Odisha, are shocked and outraged at the death of Pattnaik Harijan, a resident of Rengapalli village, Lanjigarh block, Kalahandi district at the Burla Medical College Hospital while in the custody of Kalahandi jail authorities and administration. He died yesterday, Friday, August 23 when he was brought from Bhawanipatna Jail with high fever. We are outraged that the jail authorities neither informed his family of his ill heath nor even when he was taken to the hospital in Burla, which is more than 200 kilometres from Bhawanipatna. Pattnaik Harijan, a daily wage labourer, is survived by his wife and five daughters. He was the sole earning member of his family.
We, the undersigned, collectively assert that as long as the lives, well being and dignity of all marginalized communities, especially dalits, adivasis and women, are not upheld there can be no real development or progress in the state of Odisha. The continuing repression on the people of the Niyamgiri region has to be brought to an immediate halt.
Forty-five year old Pattnaik Harijan was one of the 29 villagers arrested from the refinery plant area of Vedanta Aluminium Resources in Lanjigarh in the wake of the incidents that followed the death of Dani Batra and the security guard Sujit Minz on March 18, 2019. Till date, no proper investigation has taken place to bring to light the manner in which Dani Batra succumbed to injuries inflicted on him by the brutal lathicharge unleashed by the Odisha Industrial Security Forces (OISF). Yet many random arrests have taken place in the case of the security guard Sujit Minz whose dead body was found completely burnt with his feet tied with a wire in the premises of the refinery plant. In an FIR registered by the Lanjigarh police, 22 persons were named along with 300 “others” in events that led to the death of the security guard Sujit Minz. Many villagers remained in hiding in the jungles for fear of arrest. Then, twenty nine people were arrested as per case No. 15/2019. They have been booked under serious offences such as sections 147, 148, 149, 323, 325, 436, 302 and 506 of the IPC and the Arms Act too. However, there has been no follow up on the death of Dani Batra and the deadly lathi charge by the OISF that killed him and injured 50 villagers.
We are concerned that not only is there complete lack of concern by the district administration for the well being and safety of people of Lanjigarh area, but there is also wilful negligence leading to dire consequences as is evident in this incident of a death in jail custody. It is shocking to get reports about the free play of company agents in offering compensation to the wife of Dani Batra as well as legal and financial help for anticipatory bail for those fearing arrests. The state govt at the behest of the company has withdrawn from its constitutional responsibility and the reign of the company has substituted the systems, which is deplorable.
The terror and intimidation of the people of these villages around the refinery plant continues till date. In this manner, they are hastening the process of emptying these villages where the extension of the red mud pond is causing vast ecological damage to lives of people and the entire habitat. We are concerned for the safety of the villagers while the area is under Section 144 now. We fear the health and well being of those in jail too. To put an end to the chaos unleashed in the region, we demand:
- A judicial enquiry into the death of Pattnaik Harijan and the negligence caused by the authorities of Bhawanipatna jail and district administration.
- All erring officials need to be given due punishment for their acts of negligence leading to the death of Pattnaik Harijan.
- Compensation of Rs 50 lakhs be given to the family of the deceased for the economic rehabilitation of the family.
- Withdrawal of all cases against those who are still in jail.
- A probe into the death of Dani Batra on March 18.and arrest of OISF personnel and company officials.
- Withdrawal of CRPF forces from the entire Niyamgiri region.
- Biswapriya Kanungo, Advocate, Bhubaneswar
- Purna Pradhan, Advocate, Bhawanipatna
- Satyabadi Naik, Advocate, Bhawanipatna
- Ranjana Padhi, Social Activist, Bhubaneswar
- Surya Shankar Dash, Film Maker and Activist, Bhubaneswar
- Pramodini Pradhan, PUCL, Odisha
- Sudhir Pattnaik, Social Activist, Bhubaneswar
- Radhakant Sethi, All India People’s Forum, Bhubaneswar
- Srikant Mohanty, Chaasi Mulia Sangha (AIKMS), Odisha
- Sivaram, Odisha State Secretary, CPI (ML) Red Star
- Prashant Paikrai, Spokesperson, PPSS
- Srimanto Mohanty, Political Activist, Bhubaneswar
- Narendra Mohanty, Campaign against False and Fabricated Cases, Bhubaneswar
- Abhiram Mallick, Mulniwasi Samata Parishad, Odisha
- Sujata Sahni, Poet and Activist, Bhubaneswar
- Saroj Mohanty, Anwesha, Sambalpur
- Biswajit Roy, Gandhi Peace Foundation, Cuttack.
- Swati Mishra, ISCUF, Bhubaneswar
- Pramila Behera, Basti Suraksha Manch, Bhubaneswar
- Debaranjan, Ganatantrik Adhikar Surakshya Sangathan (GASS), Bhubaneswar
- Lenin Kumar, Poet and Activist, Bhubaneswar,
- Gargi Satapathy, Journalist, Sambalpur
- Sharanya Nayak, WSS, Koraput
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