Police 'ruthlessly' beat up women and children protesting against POSCO land acquisition

04 February, 2013

In the wee hours of Sunday, at around 4 am, the police entered into the villages and allegedly beat up women and children who were holding peaceful dharna in Balitutha village in Odissa. Some villagers have allegedly been arrested, but the exact number is not known yet.

It may be recalled that the POSCO’s MoU with the Government of Orissa is not valid and recently the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence also slapped a fine of Rs 10 crore on POSCO India for tax evasion. Despite all this, Orissa government is still hell bent on acquiring land and is working against its own people and their interests.

According to Prashant Paikary, spokesperson, POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti, the police force had been gradually swelling in “our area amidst our continuing human chain and dharna” in the Balitikira-the border of Govindpur and Dhinkia villages of Jagatsingpur district. He said police “deceptively” entered into the villages with full force at 4am on Sunday.

“The villagers, sensing their possible move at around 2am, alerted the villagers by ringing bells. Gradually women, children and male members started gathering at the dharna place,” Paikary said. “At 4am, the police entered and attacked the women and children first. The male police ruthlessly beat up our women who had formed a human chain. Some women have been severely injured. The police tossed children like flowers, some of them got injured. Some villagers have been arrested by the police,” he added.

The police, according to Paikary, started vandalising their betel vines and felling the trees forcefully. “More and more villagers started gathering at the dharna spot and a war like situation has arisen. The determined villagers are facing a mighty police force,” Paikary claimed.

He deplored that they fail to understand the decision of the state to acquire land when the National Green Tribunal has already suspended the environment clearance to the proposed POSCO project in the area. He lamented that the Chief Minister of Odissa Naveen Patnaik is behaving like an “agent” of the POSCO.

As the situation is too alarming, he appealed to friends to protest the “barbarism” and call/write/fax to the prime minister, chief minister and chief secretary of Odisha, and home ministry, Odisha to immediately stop the police “brutality” and withdrawal of the forces from the area.