India: ‘Suspected Maoists’ arrest sparks debate

villagers manning an anti-displacement blockade, Jagatsinghpur District, Orissa

The following article appeared in the Statesman, August 17, 2008.

‘Suspected Maoists’ arrest sparks debate

JAGATSINGHPUR, Aug 17- The recent arrests of ‘suspected Maoists,’ particularly Pratima Das and Debendra Dash who were moving in broad daylight drawing attention of one and all by accompanying a foreign national David Pugh, has inevitably triggered a debate on whether anti-displacement activists were being dubbed and booked as ‘suspected Maoists’.

A section of human rights and social activists, poets and journalists raised questions on the recent police action here today. While a local Oriya daily newspaper had a front page editorial captioned ‘I am a Maoist,’ another magazine editor held a meeting at Bhubaneswar to decry state repression. The Oriya daily newspaper which carried a front page editorial claimed that Debendra Dash was a reporter working for the paper in Jagatsinghpur district.

Stop Ruthless State & Corporate Violence on People of Orissa

The following comes from Dave Pugh. He notes:

Amin Maharana, one of the four anti-displacement activists in Orissa arrested on trumped up charges, has finally been produced before a court, after being held incommunicado and tortured for five days.
Please read this statement. At the end of the statement is a list of email addresses and phone numbers you can use to demand the immediate release of these four courageous fighters for the people.

Stop Ruthless State and Corporate Violence on the People of Orissa

by the Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan (People’s Movement against Displacement and for Development)

Withdraw all trumped up charges and release Devendar Das, Protima Das, Amin Maharana and Pradeep Immediately and Unconditionally

End all projects that displace people and harm the Environment

The people of Orissa have been facing the worst kind of atrocities at present as state violence is coupled with corporate violence, resulting in large-scale displacement and destitution. Tens of millions of people are in the process of being forcefully evicted from their homes and hearths. Most of these people are adivasis, dalits and other poor farmers. The people everywhere in Orissa are resisting tooth and nail the planned forcible displacement of the people.