Demand for High-Level Judicial Probe into Bomb Blast in Odisha’s POSCO Area

The following is a press statement released at a press conference in Bhubaneswar on March 10, 2013.

A national-level fact-finding team consisting of civil liberties and democratic organisations and individuals visited Gobindapur and Dhinkia villages of Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha on March 9, 2013. The objective of the visit was to assess the situation in the wake of escalated violence since the land acquisition process resumed in the area on February 4, 2013. The stationing of armed police platoons in the proposed POSCO project affected areas and finally the recent incident of a bomb explosion that left three killed and had one person severely injured prompted the team to visit the area and share our findings with a larger audience and appeal to the Odisha Government and local administration.

During the visit, the team had a detailed discussion with the POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) leader Abhay Sahu and other members, the personnel of the Orissa State Armed Police and the State Police stationed at Gobindapur, leader of the Gobindapur pro-POSCO group Ranjan Bardhan, landless Dalit labourers, a group of people in Nuagaon led by Tamil Pradhan (husband of the Sarpanch) and the local youth. The following day, on March 10, 2013, the team also visited Laxman Pramanik in the SCB Medical College Hospital, Cuttack. We informed the District Collector and Superintendent of Police about our visit and sought an appointment with them but they said they were out of the district and were thus not available to meet us.

The Incident of March 2, 2013

Discussions with members of the PPSS and families of the deceased clearly indicate that the four people, namely, Nabin Mandal (30), Narahari Sahu (52), Manas Jena (32) and Laxman Pramanik (46) were sitting at their usual meeting place after leaving a nearby betel vine in Patana village. A powerful blast occurred killing three people and left Laxman Pramanik severely injured. Another person, named Ramesh Raut, had left the spot just a minute before to buy a paan.

Within hours of the incident SP, Jagatsinghpur, Sri Satyabrata Bhoi, announced through the local and national media that the blast occurred while the deceased were making a bomb, even before any police personnel had visited the site or done any investigation. According to Laxman Pramanik in the hospital, bomb/s was/were thrown at them. He strongly refuted the accusation by the police that they were making bombs, adding: “What will I gain by lying when I am on the verge of death?” It was reported to be a powerful blast since its impact was felt and heard by most of the villagers as they recalled in discussions with the team. None of the police personnel reached the spot until nearly 15 hours after the incident. This is a clear dereliction of duty given the fact that two platoons are stationed within a distance of a few minutes from the area. Even before the police came and took charge of the dead bodies, land acquisition started in the morning of March 3, 2013.

The Role of the Police

One, the police neither reached the area nor sent any help for taking Laxman Pramanik immediately to the hospital, despite the PPSS informing the police immediately after the incident.

Secondly, the police arrived only in the morning of March 3, at the scene of the incident and took charge of the dead bodies.

Thirdly, families of the two deceased shared that the police arrived at midnight on March 3, and asked them to sign a written statement stating that the victims died in the process of making the bomb which they refused to do.

Fourth, when Kusumbati Sahu, sister-in-law of the deceased Narahari Sahu, went to register an FIR at the thana of Abhaychandrapur in the evening of March 3, the police refused to accept the FIR, scolded her that she had been sent by Abhay Sahu although they themselves were making the bomb and had come to lodge an FIR. She had to leave without registering the FIR. However, it should be noted that the only FIR that was accepted by the Abhaychandrapur thana on March 4 was lodged by Ranjan Bardhan against the three deceased, the injured Laxman Pramanik, Abhay Sahu, Surendra Das and five others of the POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti.

Our Observations of the Current Situation

Following the March 2 bomb blast, the already existing tension in the villages has greatly escalated. The villagers are unable to move freely and are in constant fear of harassment and arrest by the police. Since February 4, when the land acquistion process was resumed accompanied by a severe police lathicahrge on the villagers, outbreaks of violence have become more frequent. In Gobindapur village, two platoons of police have been deployed, these have greatly contributed to the escalated tension in the villages. At least 105 betel vines have been destroyed in Gobindapur village in the process of land acquisition. There was a lathicharge on March 7 on villagers demanding the removal of the police camp, in which 41 villagers including 35 women and children were injured.

This situation has also gravely affected the lives and livelihood of the villagers. The situation of landless Dalit labourers is very grave. Over 150 families depend on betel vines located on approximately one acre of land. They are clear that the plant is most undersirable since the betel vines are the only source of their livelihood. Two persons shared how they got no compen-sation after the sale of land. Most others said how there are no provisions for compensations for the landless in the acquistion process. In fact, Laxman Pramanik, who has been gravely injured in the bomb blast, is also a landless labourer, the sole breadwinner of a family of eight persons, depending on the same. In short, the livelihood activities and mobility of the entire community are under threat. Any access to health care or medical treatment, however critical, is difficult to obtain as most of the community is under the threat of arrest.

Demands

In view of our discussions with all the affected persons, and the clear attempt of the police to blame the deceased persons in a premeditated manner, we demand

1. A high level judicial enquiry into the March 2 bomb blast incident resulting in the death of three persons and injury to one person, to ascertain the truth of the matter.

2. The immediate withdrawal of the police camp from Gobindapur village as it is contributing to escalating tensions in the area.

3. The cessation of the land acquisition process forthwith in the Dhinkia panchayat area including Gobindapur village.

4. Compensation on humanitarian grounds to the families of the deceased who were killed in the bomb blast and proper medical help for the injured person.

Meher Engineer,

Former Director, Bose Institute, Kolkata;

Sumit Chakravartty,

Editor, Mainstream weekly, Delhi;

Dr Manoranjan Mohanty,

Retd Professor, Delhi University;

Pramodini Pradhan,

PUCL, Odisha;

Saroj Mohanty,

PUCL, Odisha;

Ranjana Padhi,

PUDR, Delhi;

Dr Kamal Chaubey,

PUDR, Delhi;

Sanjeev Kumar,

Delhi Forum, Delhi;

Mathew Jacob,

HRLN, Delhi;

Samantha,

Sanhati;

Partho Roy,

Sanhati;

Gyan Ranjan Swain,