New Delhi, Oct 21 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday attacked the BJP over the arrest of two tribal rights activists in Odisha, alleging that the “double engine model” works to deny Adivasi communities their rights.
The opposition party’s attack came after Randall Sequeira and Laxman Naik were arrested in connection with a clash in Odisha’s Rayagada district six months ago.
Civil society groups condemned the police action and alleged that it was aimed at foiling protests against injustice.
The police on Tuesday rejected the allegation, claiming that the two had instigated tribals to attack security personnel in Kantamal village during a protest against mining activities in the area in April.
Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said on October 16, Odisha Police picked up physician and activist Dr Sequeira and Dalit activist Naik.
“They have been supporting protests by Dalit and Adivasi communities against Bauxite mining projects. This is part of a larger campaign of repression in Odisha which has seen 43 police cases and over a 100 people jailed in three years,” he alleged.
Congress MP from Koraput Saptagiri Ulaka and the Odisha Congress are providing support to the arrested activists, he said.
Bauxite mining projects in Sijimali, Kutrumali and Niyamgiri are being pushed through with brazen violations of Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), 1996 and the Forest Rights Act, 2006, though these are Fifth Schedule areas, Ramesh said.
“This contravenes the 2013 Supreme Court judgement on Niyamgiri which upheld the right of the Gram Sabhas to withhold consent for mining activity,” he said.
In Sijimali, there are serious allegations of forging of Gram Sabha consent, Ramesh claimed.
“The Congress has documented such cases of ‘Angutha Chori’ across BJP-ruled states. It is no surprise that one of the proposed mines is a Modani project,” he said.
The Centre granted the Sijimali project environmental clearance in May. Last month, the Odisha chief minister promised ‘all possible support’ for such projects, following which, the crackdown on activists and local communities has intensified, Ramesh said.
“This is the double engine model at work denying Adivasi communities their rights,” he said. PTI ASK ZMN
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