The below statement, signed by 92 journalists, academics, judges, activists
and other concerned citizens, is being circulated on behalf of the
signatories. Apologies to those who receive it multiple times. Additional
signatures / endorsements can be sent to mamata68@gmail.com or
shankargopal@myfastmail.com
*CONDEMN THE REPRESSION ON POSCO PRATIRODH SANGRAM SAMITI AND THE LIKELY
IMMINENT ATTACK ON THE PEACEFUL PROTESTERS OF THE AREA
*
The undersigned condemn the growing brutality of the state repression being
unleashed against the peaceful, democratic protesters of the POSCO project
area, who are only fighting for their legal and fundamental rights. This
repression has reached a peak with the arrest yesterday (Friday) of POSCO
Pratirodh Sangram Samiti leader Abhay Sahoo. The government's constant
announcements of its intention to start construction in the area lead us to
apprehend that there will be more violence and brutality against the
movement.
This comes after the people of Dhinkia and Gobindpur heroically resisted
police attacks for more than two months in the heat of summer, drawing the
attention of the entire country to the threat to their thriving economy and
fragile ecosystem. It also comes in the wake of a grossly illegal
clearance to the project from the Environment Ministry, in direct
violation of the Forest Rights Act and the EIA notification, despite two of
the Ministry's own enquiry committees finding that grant of clearance would
be a crime. Moreover, the Centre itself now claims that projects of this
kind will be subject, under its proposed new law, to the consent of 80% of
the local community - which has been ignored in this case. Meanwhile,
dozens of false cases have been filed against the protesters, and it is
worth noting that Abhay Sahoo has received bail from the courts in more
than 40 cases so far; but every time he is released, new cases are foisted
on him. Finally, court cases are pending against the illegal clearance to
the project in the High Court and in the National Green Tribunal. Despite
all this, the Orissa government is continuing its criminal offensive, and
the Centre as usual is doing nothing to stop it or to uphold the law.
We condemn this repression, and call for the immediate release of Abhay
Sahoo, the dropping of the false cases registered against him and other
members of the movement, and the immediate withdrawal of this illegal,
unjust and economically destructive project.
Sincerely,
1. Adivasi Aikya Vedika, Andhra Pradesh
2. Alistar Bodra, JJBA & NFFPFW, Jharkhand
3. Amit Bhaduri, Academic, Delhi
4. Amit Srivastava, India Resource Center
5. Anirban Kar, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University
6. Anu Mandavilli, Mining Zone Peoples' Solidarity Group.
7. Anurag Modi, Shramik Adivasi Sangathan, Madhya Pradesh
8. Arun Kumar, JNU, Delhi
9. Ashok Agarwal, Advocate, Delhi
10. Asit Das, POSCO Pratirodh Solidarity, Delhi
11. Balaji Narasimhan
11. Justice (Retd) B.G. Kolse Patil
12. Biswajit Mohanty, Academic, Delhi
13. Dipak Roy Choudhury, Kolkata
14. Dr. B D Sharma, Bharat Jan Andolan, Delhi
15. Dunu Roy, Hazards Centre, Delhi
16. Elavarthi Manohar, Praja Rajakiya Vedike, Bangalore
17. Faisal Khan, NAPM
18. Felix Padel, Anthropologist, Gujarat
19. Humane, Koraput, Odisha
20. Ish Mishra, Delhi University, Delhi
21. Jagadish Chandra, Bangalore
22. Jutta Kill, FERN, UK
23. K P Sasi, Visual Search, Bangalore
24. Kamal Kabra
25. Kamayani Mahabal, Mumbai
26. Kanchi Kohli, Kalpavriksh, Delhi
27. Kaveri Rajaram, Bangalore
28. Kavita Krishnan, CPI (ML) Liberation, Delhi
29. Kiran Shaheen, Delhi
30. Lalit Batra, University of Minnesota, USA
31. Lalsingh Bhujel, Uttar Banga Forum of Forest People and Forest
Workers, West Bengal
32. Madhumita Dutta, Campaign for Justice and Peace, Tamil Nadu
33. Madhuresh Kumar, National Alliance of People's Movements
34. Malarmannan, English-Tamil Bilingual Columnist and Author
35. Madhusudhan, Andhra Pradesh
36. Mamata Dash, POSCO Pratirodh Solidarity & NFFPFW, Delhi
37. Manohar Kothekar, NFFPFW, Maharashtra
38. Manshi Asher, Him Dhara, Environment Reserch & Action Collective,
Himachal Pradesh
39. Maya Valecha, Gujarat
40. Meher Engineer
41. Mohan Bhagat, Univ of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
42. Nandita Narain, St.Stephen's College, Delhi
43. National Forum of Forest People and Forest Workers (NFFPFW)
44. Partho Sarothi Ray, Sanhati, West Bengal
45. Parvathy Prem, Association for India's Development (AID), USA
46. Praful Bidwai, Columnist, Delhi
47. Prafulla Samantara, Convenor, NAPM
48. Prasad Chacko, Gujarat
49. Preeti Sampat
50. Pushkar Raj, PUCL, Delhi
51. Pushpa Toppo, Jharkhand Jangal Bachao Andolan, Jharkhand
52. Ra Ravishankar, Mining Zone Peoples' Solidarity Group
53. Rahul Saxena, Himachal Pradesh
54. Rakesh Agarwal, Dehradun
55. Rakesh Ranjan, Delhi University
56. Ramakant Banjare, Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha (Mazdoor Karyakarta
Committee)
57. Ranjana Padhi, Delhi
58. Ravi Chellam, Bangalore
59. Richard Mahapatra, Down to Earth, Delhi
60. Rinchin, WSS, Madhya Pradesh
61. Rishu Garg
62. Rukmini Rao, Andhra Pradesh
63. Sagari Ramdas, Andhra Pradesh
64. Sanjay Basu Mullick, Jharkhand Jangal Bachao Andolan, Jharkhand
65. Sayantoni Datta, Independent Researcher, West Bengal
66. Shalini Gera, CMM - Mazdoor Karyakarta Samiti, Chattisgarh
67. Shamim, Academic, Mumbai
68. Shankar Gopalkrishnan, Campaign for Survival and Dignity, Delhi
69. Sharanya Nayak, Orissa
70. Shiba Desor, Kalpavriksh, Delhi
71. Shivani Chaudhry, Housing and Land Rights Network, Delhi
72. Soma K P, Delhi
73. Soumitra Ghosh, NESPON, West Bengal
74. Souparna Lahiri, NFFPFW, Delhi
75. Subhashini. Krantikari Naujawan Sabha
76. Subrat Kumat Sahu, Independent Journalist and Film Maker, Delhi
77. Sudha Bharadwaj, Chhattisgarh PUCL, Chattisgarh
78. Sukla Sen. EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity), Mumbai
79. Suman S
80. Uma V Chandru, WSS & PUCL, Bangalore
81. Tapas Saha, CPI(ML) LIberation
82. Vijay Singh, Delhi
83. Vijayendra, Hyderabad
84. Vinay Bhat
85. Viren Lobo, Delhi
86. Vivek Sundara, HRA, Mumbai
87. VS Roy David, Convenor, National Adivasi Alliance
88. Walter Fernandes, Assam
89. William Nicholas Gomes, Journalist & Human Rights Activist, Dhaka
90. Women against Sexual Violence and State Repression
91. Xavier Dias, Editor. Khan Kaneej Aur ADHIKAR (Mines minerals & RIGHTS)
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