The Orissa Government disrupted PDFI Preparatory Conference
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
REPORT
The State level PDFI preparatory conference which was scheduled to be held on 8 th and 9th July at Aditya Hall, Sambalpur, could not be held due to prohibition order of Police and local administration. Hundreds of delegates who were assembled near the proposed conference hall were not allowed by the police and district civil administration officials to enter into the hall. Virtually the CRPF and Armed Police Forces forcibly occupied the proposed conference hall. The delegates including women and small Children were in open air when there was also rain. A huge contingent of CRPF, OSAP were deployed around the proposed conference hall and near the Khetarajpur Rail way station to terrorise the delegates.
Although an application was submitted before sub-divisional magistrate, Sambalpur on 19.6.2006 and the recommendation was obtained from Dhanupalli Police Station, the final permission for the proposed open public meeting schedule for date 9.7.06 was not provided. It is an well known fact that there is no necessity of permission from police or civil administration for holding any meeting in an auditorium. But the police and district administration showed their highhandedness with the support of brutal armed forces and prevented the hall meeting, intimidated and threatened to implicate in criminal case. Video shooting of all delegates including lady delegates was unauthorized done by the order of S.P. and the protest of lady delegates was not needed to. Due to the high handedness of authority, hundreds of delegate were deprived up exercising their democratic as well as fundamental right to from any association, assemble in a meeting, freedom at speech, expression etc.
However the delegates ventured to hold an outdoor open session at the platform of Khetarajpur Railway station Sambalpur. Guest delegate from Jharkhand and some other leading delegates who attended from different parts of the state discussed the draft constitution of PDFI. The movements of life and livelihood and against deprivation from land, forest, water, environment etc., which are continuing in different part of the state, were deliberated. All expressed their concern for the imperialistic exploitations in the name of new economic reforms. The issue of Kalinga Nagar resistance struggle and the movement of Sambalpur Pleasants for water to their land were deliberated in a special context. The undemocratic act of the Govt. was also unequivocally condemned by all the delegate speakers.
It is pertinent to mention that the present PDFI process in this state is being labeled as a new brand frontal organisation of Maoist Party. The Govt. machineries and a section of the press initially created this rumour to give a repressive hand to the authority on this plea for encroaching into this democratic attempt to form a broad united struggle forum, like PDFI. In the meanwhile one of the local organisers of PDFI named Amaresh Nayak was illegally detained in the police custody for more than 48 hours and produced in the court in serious false criminal charges like of sedition etc. It is reported in the section of the press that an innocent person was picked up from the bus by the police at Jujumara and has been illegally confined in Jujumara P.S. for more than four days. The convenor of Orissa PDFI process, Debendra is also wanted by the police & who may be arrested at any point of time. Invoking ban order against Maoist Party & seven other mass organisations & subsequent high handedness to prohibit the broad united struggle forum like PDFI process, clearly proves the attitude of the state, how it takes view on any dissent opinion, ideology and any democratic movement.
Action Suggested
1) A Dharana may be staged at New Delhi to record protest.
2) An appeal be made to all the countrymen to condemn the undemocratic act of the Govt. for its attitude towards any democratic struggle.
3) A delegation from the PDFI center may meet the Governor of Orissa & to press demand to refrain from any such undemocratic act of intervening into any public meeting.
From Debendra
Orissa PDFI
posted by Resistance 3/06/2007 09:33:00 PM,
