| Agony of anti-displacement Activists |
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Dear Friends,
You must be aware about the Police Firing took place at Kathikund of Dumka district in Jharkhand on December 6, 2008, when the Adivasis (Indigenous People) were protesting against the land acquisition for steel plant proposed by the Kolkata based CESE a unite of the RPG Group, where two Activists Lakhiram Tuddu and Saigat Marandi lost their lives and many other injure in the incident. The police fired on people when they were demanding for release of their leaders – Smt. Munni Hansada, Mr. Charan Kumar, Mr. Hopna Baski and Mr. Rajcharan Murmu who were in jail arrested under the sections 147, 148, 149, 452, 353, 379 and 504 of IPC.
Presently, 7 cases have been filed against 3473 anti-displacement Activists including Ms. Munni Hansada, Mr. Charan Kumar, Mr. Danial Murmu, Mr. Bimal Soren, Mr. Rajcharan Murmu, Mr. Nathan Hansada, Mr. Roshan Hembrom, Mr. Hopna Baski, Ms. Fulo Marandi, Ms. Teresa Marandi, Mr. James Soren, Mr. Bablu Marandi, Mr. Chhotelal Hembrom, under sections 147, 148, 149, 188, 302, 307, 322, 323, 325, 332, 333, 341, 342, 353, 379, 384, 395, 427, 435, 452, 504, 506, 511, 120 (b) of IPC, 25 (i-B), 27 and 17 of CLA Act. The leader of Kathikund Displacement Movement Ms. Munni Hansada and Mr. Charan Kumar were in jail for 7 months and released on bail but Mr. Nathan Hansada, Mr. Roshan Hembrom and Mr. Jhumukh Hansada are still in jail.
The problem had started in the region in 2005 when the RPG group power utility, CESC Ltd had signed MoU with Arjun Munda, the former chief minister of Jharkhand on 15 of September 2005 for setting up a coal based mega power plant with the capacity of 1000 mega watt with an estimated investment of Rs. 4,000 crore. The company requires 1000 acres of land for the plant, where 6 villages would be ruined and 10 thousand people would be displaced.
The state government maintained secret and did not involve the traditional self governance in signing of MoU, created unrest in the areas. A huge people's resistance begun in the region in November 2007 when the project site was identified, survey was started and the villagers were given notice for land acquisition. When the government was unable to acquire land due to the people's resistance, Nalin Soren the agriculture minister, Sibu Soren's kin Basant Soren and 5 middlemen were involved in the matter for convincing people by offering them a huge sum of amount. When the villagers came to know about it, they had organized a meeting of "More Manjhi" (regional meeting of Santhal traditional self governance) on April 15, 2008 at Amgachi village, where Jai Prakash Toppo the officer-in-charge of Kathikund Police station was arrested by the villagers for protecting the middlemen.
After seeing the Adivasis unrest against the land acquisition in the region, the S.P. of Dumka, Sidhu Hembrom had threatened the Adivasi Activist Munni Hansada for her involvement in people's mobilization against the power plant. He said that she will be thrown behind the bars if she continues the activities against the company. He questioned her that if Guruji (Sibu Soren) is not opposing it then why are you mobilizing people against the plant? Are you a bigger leader than Guruji? A case was also filed against Muni Hansada and 909 villagers under the sections 147, 148, 353, 452, 188, 427, 504, 341 and 342 of IPC and 3 of GPDP Act, alleging them for disrupting the development project and 3 of them were arrested but released after the mass protest in front of the SP office in Dumka. But Munni Hansada and villagers did not lose the patience and they organized the "Dishum Baishi" successfully. But after the meeting, the villagers are being threatened by the administration and told that they must take money as compensation for their land with in a month or be ready to leave the land by force.
Another big traditional meeting was held at Pokharia village of Kathikund in Dumka on May 8, 2008, where thousands of Adivasi men, women and children had gathered in the blazing sun. The agriculture minister Nalin soren was socially boycotted for offering Rs. 13 lakh cash, one vehicle and Rs. 20 thousand per month as honorarium to the village-head Fulo Marandi of Amgachi of Dumka district for convincing the villagers to surrender their land for the proposed power plant. The other five villagers were found guilty as they had guided Basant Soren the son of Sibu Soren in approaching the village head while he had visited to Amgachi village to convince the village head for the project and the crime of the police officer Jai Prakash Toppo was for denying to hand over these five middle men to the villagers therefore he was also socially boycotted. It was also declared in the "Dishum Baishi" that the land would not be given for the company at any cost and every one would be punished who would be found guilty in land alienation activities.
Presently, these people are under trail based on false cases including Ms. Munni Hansada, Mr. Charan Kumar, Mr. Daniel Murmu, Mr. Bimal Kishku, Mr. Raj Charan Murmu, Mr. James Soren, Mr. Bablu Marandi, Mr. Chhotelal Hembrom, Mr. Roshan Hembrom, Mr. Jhumukh Hansada, Mr. Lakhan Hansada, Mr. Sunil Tuddu, Mr. Suresh Tuddu, Ms. Lakhi Tuddu and Ms. Shila Marandi..
In Solidarity
Conveners
Gladson Dungdung
Jerom Jerold Kujur,
Sunil Minj,
Xavier Kujur,
Rakesh Roshan Kiro,
Anju Kujur,
Bhengra,
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