Irate Dangarias gherao police station resisting arrests of two of their tribal youths
Dr.Badal Tah,Odishabarta
Rayagada, August 7: Last Sunday hundreds of Dangaria tribals, a Primarily Vulnerable Tribal Group(PVTG), from 112 villages of Niyamagiri hills flocked to gherao Kalyan Singhpur police station in Rayagada district. The men & women of this PVTG with their traditional weapons, under the leadership of Lada Sikaka, President of Niyamagiri Surakhya Samiti(NSS), resisted vehemently of the arrest of two tribal youths from their community by police.
According to Lada, Drinju Krushika, Krushna Sikaka and Bari Sikaka from Patangpadar village went to Lanjigarh to attend preparatory meet on International Indigenous Day on ensuing August 9. While returning back they were picked up by police on plain clothes on the suspicion as Naxal link. Drinju managed to escape and inform the villagers.
Lada said that the youths are illegally detained by the police with no fault of theirs. If these youths detained by police were not released immediately, they would take law into their hand, Lada warned. The irate mob tried to barge into the police station, but were resisted by the police force present there.
Additional SP Bishnu Prasad Patra rushed to the spot and was assisted by six IICs, one platoon police force from CRPF, OSAP & DVF to maintain law and order. After hour long negotiation by police with the congregation, the tribals went back with further warning that they would return with more people if the tribal youths are not produced before them within two days.
Reliable source mentions that Krushna Sikaka is working as a Community Resource Person(CRP) in Odisha PVTG Empowerment & Livelihood Improvement Programme(OPELIP) under Dangaria Kandha Development Agency(DKDA)-Paesali, which comes under Tribal Welfare Deptt of Govt of Odisha. He seems to be a sincere worker as said by his colleagues. “OPELIP has invested hundreds of crores of rupees for the development of this PVTG group; but there is hardly any trickle down effect. The tribals still do not consider this project as trustworthy. There is a severe development deficit in the area.
A reconciliatory process is the need of the hour involving Community Leaders, Leaders of NSS, OPELIP, Police, Block Development Office, Panchayat, local tribal & other leaders & social workers to appraise the impact of such schemes and programmes vis-a-vis anguish of tribals. The tribal minister Jagannath Saraka, who hails from Bissam Cuttack constituency also inhabited by Dangaria tribe, should take the lead to initiate this process”, said Rasmiranjan Dora, a researcher on tribal unrest.
“We will not at all tolerate this injustice meted out to innocent tribals by police. Tribal leaders of this district, cutting across party lines, are preparing to give a stern resistance against this police excess. I have seen in my own eyes how many innocent tribals are toiling in jail because of false cases implanted by police. Though police is denying arrest of the said youths, they must remember that tribals are not fools and know who is who. We demand an unconditional release of the two Dangaria Youths, who were stealthily picked up by police and kept in some unknown place. Or else, face the anger of tribals in this district as well as of the adjacent district”, rued Basanta Ulaka, Convenor of a District level tribal outfit named Rayagada Adibasi Mahasangha.
