Friday, March 8, 2013

People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) Delhi

8th March, 2013
Sub: State Repression on Punjab farmers: an offensive response to democratic protest

Press Statement


Democracy within its value frame assumes the right to protest as a vital means towards ensuring the guarantee of those rights and values it stands for. However, today we are witnessing a different ‘culture of democracy’ where the right to protest is increasingly becoming not just an empty notion, in fact, protest itself is being turned into an offence. The mass arrest of members and activists of 17 peasants’ and workers’ organizations in Punjab as a preventive act of securing law and order situation is symptomatic of this different ‘culture of democracy’.
On 6 March, members of these organizations had decided to jam rail traffic under their state-wide 'Rail Roko' agitation to push for their long pending demands after witnessing a prolonged response of apathy from the government. The farmers have been demanding an increase in the Minimum Support Price based on the price index, as per the Swaminathan Committee report, more subsidies for the poor and checks on the hike in prices of diesel and other farm inputs. Government responded in pre-emptive confinement of those involved with the agitation, under the name of protection law and order situation. Early in the day, Punjab police arrested Jagmohan Singh (provincial General secretary, BKU Ekta_dakaunda), Dr. Darshan Pal and Satwant Singh Wazidpur, Patiala distt. president & secretary of BKU (Ekta Dakaunda) Darshan Lal, state secretary of Dehati Mazdoor Sabha (CPM Pasla); Ruldu Singh, president of Punjab Khet Union; Harmesh Malri, state president of Pendu Khet Mazdoor Union; Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu, state convener of Kisan Sangharsh Committee (Piddy); Nirbhai Singh Dhudike, Moga president of Kirti Kisan Union; Gurmeet Singh Bakhtupura, AICTU state president and during the day, another 1353 persons were rounded up. Houses of many Union activists were raided and many were detained to be either released by the evening or sent to Judicial Custody.
This act of police repression is an attempt to quell the protest aimed at securing what has been due to the farmers and workers for long. In the given political climate of state repression we apprehend fabrication of false charges against those participating in this people’s movement.  but has also culminated into a dangerous political climate where those detained can be implicated under fabricated charges. The forebodings of such acts are clear in ending into a deterred space of struggle for democratic rights, something that defeats the end that democracy is meant to achieve. PUDR strongly condemns yet another this act of repression by the state elite and demands the immediate release of the activists. PUDR also extends solidarity with the demands put forth by the protesters and their demands. joins them in pushes towards their receipt.

Asish Gupta and D. Manjit
(Secretaries, PUDR)
pudr@pudr.org, pudedelhi@gmail.com

Thursday, March 7, 2013

ਪੰਜਾਬ ਵਿਚ ਅੰਦੋਲਨਕਾਰੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਦਮਨ ਦੀ ਨਿਖੇਧੀ



ਜਮਹੂਰੀ ਅਧਿਕਾਰ ਸਭਾ ਪੰਜਾਬ 17 ਕਿਸਾਨ ਮਜ਼ਦੂਰ ਜਥੇਬੰਦੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਰੇਲ ਰੋਕੋ ਅੰਦੋਲਨ ਨੂੰ ਦਬਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਸੈਂਕੜੇ ਕਿਸਾਨ ਕਾਰਕੁੰਨਾਂ ਤੇ ਆਗੂਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਗ੍ਰਿਫ਼ਤਾਰ ਕਰਕੇ ਜੇਲ੍ਹਾਂ 'ਚ ਬੰਦ ਕਰਨ ਅਤੇ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਵਿਚ ਕਿਸਾਨ ਕਾਰਕੁੰਨਾਂ ਉੱਪਰ ਦਫ਼ਾ 304 ਤੇ ਹੋਰ ਧਾਰਾਵਾਂ ਤਹਿਤ ਸੰਗੀਨ ਪਰਚਾ ਦਰਜ਼ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਪੁਰਜ਼ੋਰ ਨਿਖੇਧੀ ਕਰਦੀ ਹੈ। ਸਭਾ ਦੇ ਸੂਬਾ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਪ੍ਰੋਫੈਸਰ ਅਜਮੇਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਔਲੱਖ ਅਤੇ ਜਨਰਲ ਸਕੱਤਰ ਪ੍ਰੋਫੈਸਰ ਜਗਮੋਹਣ ਸਿੰਘ ਵਲੋਂ ਜਾਰੀ ਕੀਤੇ ਬਿਆਨ 'ਚ ਕਿਹਾ ਗਿਆ ਕਿ ਹੁਕਮਰਾਨਾਂ ਵਲੋਂ ਅਪਣਾਏ ਆਰਥਕ ਮਾਡਲ ਕਾਰਨ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੀ ਕਿਸਾਨੀ ਡੂੰਘੇ ਸੰਕਟ ਦੀ ਲਪੇਟ ਵਿਚ ਹੈ। ਇਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਹਾਲਾਤ 'ਚ ਆਪਣੇ ਹਿੱਤਾਂ ਤੇ ਮਸਲਿਆਂ ਬਾਰੇ ਆਵਾਜ਼ ਉਠਾਉਣਾ ਅਤੇ ਜਥੇਬੰਦ ਹੋਣਾ ਨਾਗਰਿਕਾਂ ਦਾ ਜਮਹੂਰੀ ਹੱਕ ਹੈ। ਪੰਜਾਬ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਦਾ ਇਹ ਫਰਜ਼ ਸੀ ਕਿ ਕਿਸਾਨਾਂ ਤੇ ਮਜ਼ਦੂਰਾਂ ਵਲੋਂ ਉਠਾਏ ਜਾ ਰਹੇ ਮੰਗਾਂ ਤੇ ਮਸਲਿਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਤੁਰੰਤ ਮੁਖ਼ਾਤਿਬ ਹੁੰਦੀ ਅਤੇ ਸਬੰਧਤ ਜਥੇਬੰਦੀਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਵਿਚਾਰ-ਵਟਾਂਦਰੇ ਦਾ ਜਮਹੂਰੀ ਢੰਗ ਅਪਣਾਉਂਦੀ।ਇਸ ਦੀ ਥਾਂ ਪੁਲਿਸ ਫੋਰਸ ਰਾਹੀਂ ਅੰਦੋਲਨਕਾਰੀਆਂ ਦੀ ਆਵਾਜ਼ ਨੂੰ ਦਬਾਉਣ ਦੇ ਮਕਸਦ ਨਾਲ 6 ਮਾਰਚ ਨੂੰ ਤੜਕੇ ਸੂਬੇ ਵਿਚ 319 ਥਾਵਾਂ 'ਤੇ ਛਾਪੇ ਮਾਰਕੇ ਵਿਆਪਕ ਦਮਨ ਚੱਕਰ ਚਲਾਇਆ ਗਿਆ ਤੇ 155 ਕਾਰਕੁੰਨਾਂ ਤੇ ਆਗੂਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਗ੍ਰਿਫ਼ਤਾਰ ਕੀਤਾ ਗਿਆ। ਫਿਰ ਦਿਨ ਵੇਲੇ ਫਿਰ 1353 ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਗ੍ਰਿਫ਼ਤਾਰ ਕਰਕੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ 'ਚੋਂ ਵੱਡੇ ਹਿੱਸੇ ਨੂੰ ਜੇਲ੍ਹਾਂ 'ਚ ਭੇਜ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਗਿਆ। ਹਕੂਮਤ ਦੀ ਇਹ ਕਾਰਵਾਈ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦੇ ਜਮਹੂਰੀ ਹੱਕਾਂ 'ਤੇ ਹਮਲਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਜਮਹੂਰੀ ਕਦਰਾਂ-ਕੀਮਤਾਂ ਦਾ ਘਾਣ ਹੈ। ਸਭਾ ਇਹ ਵੀ ਸਮਝਦੀ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤਸਰ ਵਿਚ ਅੰਦੋਲਨਕਾਰੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਗ੍ਰਿਫ਼ਤਾਰ ਕਰਨ ਗਈ ਪਲਿਸ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਦੇ ਏ.ਐੱਸ.ਆਈ ਦੀ ਮੌਤ ਦੀ ਨਿਰਪੱਖ ਜਾਣ ਕਰਾਉਣ ਤੋਂ ਬਿਨਾ ਹੀ ਬਦਲਾਲਊ ਇਰਾਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਕਿਸਾਨ ਆਗੂਆਂ ਤੇ ਕਾਰਕੁੰਨਾਂ ਉੱਪਰ ਦਫ਼ਾ 304 ਤੇ ਹੋਰ ਧਾਰਾਵਾਂ ਤਹਿਤ ਸੰਗੀਨ ਪਰਚਾ ਦਰਜ਼ ਕਰਨਾ ਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਗ੍ਰਿਫ਼ਤਾਰ ਕਰਨਾ ਪੂਰੀ ਤਰ੍ਹਾਂ ਗ਼ੈਰਸੰਵਿਧਾਨਕ ਕਦਮ ਹੈ। ਸਭਾ ਦੇ ਆਗੂਆਂ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਅੰਦੋਲਨਕਾਰੀਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਤੁਰੰਤ ਰਿਹਾਅ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਵੇ, ਕਿਸਾਨ ਆਗੂਆਂ 'ਤੇ ਦਰਜ਼ ਪਰਚਾ ਰੱਦ ਕੀਤਾ ਜਾਵੇ ਅਤੇ ਏ. ਐੱਸ.ਆਈ. ਦੇ ਕਤਲ ਦੀ ਬਿਨਾ ਦੇਰੀ ਨਿਰਪੱਖ ਜੁਡੀਸ਼ੀਅਲ ਜਾਂਚ ਕਰਾਈ ਜਾਵੇ ਅਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਮੰਗਾਂ ਤੇ ਮਸਲਿਆਂ ਦੇ ਨਿਪਟਾਰੇ ਲਈ ਗੱਲਬਾਤ ਦੀ ਪਹੁੰਚ ਅਪਣਾਈ ਜਾਵੇ।
7 ਮਾਰਚ 2013



Sunday, March 3, 2013

  
Press release from POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti

Today i.e. on 2rd March 2013, at around 6 .30 PM, the POSCO company and state-sponsored goons threw bombs on our villagers at Patna village, Dhinkia , Jagatsinghpur.  As a result, Manas Jena – Age 32 died on the spot. The rest two Nabanu Mandal – 35 and Narahari Sahoo – 52 were died after half an hour waiting for ambulance.  Mr. Laxman Paramanik  is critically injured. We have informed the police for ambulance once the incident happened. But the police didn’t respond.   

 We strongly condemn this barbaric and inhuman killing of innocent villagers and strongly demand to arrest the culprit immediately.
We strongly condemn this barbaric and inhuman killing of innocent villagers
and strongly demand to arrest the culprit immediately.


Hoping for solidarity,
Prashant Paikary
Spokesperson,

POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti
Mobuile no - 09437571547
E-Mail -:prashantpaikary@gmail.com>

4 anti-POSCO activists killed in bomb blast



 

BHUBANESWAR, March 3, 2013, The Hindu

Satyasundar Barik

The Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), which is spearheading the movement against land acquisition for the project, identified the deceased as Manas Jena (32), Nabanu Mandal (35), Narahari Sahoo (52) and Laxman Paramanik. They were active members of the anti-POSCO movement.

At least four persons were killed when a bomb went off on Saturday evening at Patna village — which comes under the area for the proposed POSCO steel plant — in Odisha’s Jagatsinghpur district, about 150 km from here.

The Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS), which is spearheading the movement against land acquisition for the project, identified the deceased as Manas Jena (32), Nabanu Mandal (35), Narahari Sahoo (52) and Laxman Paramanik. They were active members of the anti-POSCO movement, the samiti claimed.

“Some goons hired for facilitating the setting up of the mega steel plant by POSCO India Private Limited hurled bombs at our activists. The miscreants were actually targeting Abhaya Sahoo, president of PPSS. But they did not have clear visibility in the dark. As a result, the other four died in the bombing,” alleged PPSS spokesperson Prasant Paikray. The PPSS strongly condemned this “barbaric and inhuman killing of innocent villagers” and demanded the immediate arrest of the culprits.

The district administration, however, contradicted its claims. “We have received unconfirmed reports about the death of three persons. The place, where the explosion took place, has been out of bounds to police and project supporters for several years. So the claim of some people hurling bombs is incorrect,” Superintendent of Police Satyabrat Bhoi told The Hindu over telephone.

“As per the information trickling in from the area, the bombs went off when the people opposed to the steel project were preparing explosives in their backyards,” Mr. Bhoi said.

The incident happened at a time when the State government is preparing to resume land acquisition. On February 3, hundreds of armed police personnel forced their way into Gobindpur village and dismantled a few betel vineyards.