CMAS distributes land to tribals, criticises AP police

| Last updated less than one minute ago

Submit :

News Photos Just In Debate Topic Latest News Articles Local News Blog Posts Pictures Reviews Recipes

K. Sudhakar Patnaik

09 October, 2009

The Andhra Pradesh police has pasted several posters at Narayanpatna and Bandhugaon blocks, warning tribal leaders Nachika Linga, Wadeka Singana and Ramu Padi against entering Andhra boundary.

THE CHASI Mulia Adivasi Sangha (CMAS) leader Nachika Linga, has claimed on Wednesday, October 9, that the cultivatable land, which was grabbed by the non-tribals and seized back during the month of April, has been distributed by the Narayanpatna CMAS to the landless under the banner of “land to the tiller”.

Secretary Nachika Linga, speaking to reporters from an unknown location over the phone, stated that before seizing more than 2000 acres of their paternal land, the anti-liquor agitation organised by the group had brought a great change to the tribals. The habitual liquor drinking tribals in Narayanpatna, Bandhugaon and Laxmipur joined as members of the anti-liquor movement.

On Wednesday, about 5000 women organised a rally in support of Nachika Linga at Podapadar and expressed their happiness over the anti-liquor movement and the return of their paternal lands, which are in possession of the landless now. There would a good paddy harvesting this year, the women folk said in a rally. Of this seized land, a large part is under paddy cultivation. The landless are also happy to get the minimum required land for cultivation to meet their ends.

In the meantime, the Andhra Pradesh (AP) police has pasted several posters at Narayanpatna and Bandhugaon blocks, warning tribal leaders Nachika Linga, Wadeka Singana and Ramu Padi against entering Andhra boundary. The local TV channel confirmed these posters.

When contacted, Nachika boldly said the posters against them are undemocratic and violation of fundamental rights. He said,“I am organising a rally at Narayanpatna on October 9 this month. In fact, the AP government is about to construct an irrigation on river Jenjabati which was opposed by us, as a result of which they failed to complete the project. They are now vindictively harassing tribals for opposing the proposed irrigation project, which would submerge 12 tribal populated villages under Narayanpatna and Bandhugaon block.”

The president of Koraput Bar association, Nihar Ranjan Pattnaik told this correspondent that the pasting of the wall posters against the particular community leaders may lead to communal tension. It is also nothing less than a violation of Supreme Court orders.