Kandhamal could have been averted: Opposition

Statesman News Service
BHUBANESWAR, Jan. 14: The incidents which set parts of Kandhamal district on flames were inhuman, barbaric and something which could have been easily averted by any government worth its name, said the leaders of the Opposition political parties, when they met the Governor, Mr MC Bhandare here today. Delegates of the Opposition parties, who returned from a tour of the district yesterday told the Governor that the situation was far from normal as people continued to apprehend violence. They want the Central forces to remain till normalcy is restored.
Leaders belonging to the Congress, NCP, Left parties, SP, JMM and RJD discussed all the aspects of the violence that had taken place and drew the attention of the Governor on how the district administration had not only denied them accommodation, but had also refused to provide information to them.
We have met the people, visited most of the affected spots and spoke to the victims, but the district administration was totally non-cooperative, they charged.
The Congress leaders demanded a CBI probe and alleged that the violence was pre-planned by communal forces and the district administration knew that things would have happened.
The administration, both at the district and state levels, had virtually been put on notice since 29 August, 2007, when the Kui Samaj voiced its demands. Subsequently it held block level demonstrations, met the chief minister and held rallies till November when it issued a bandh call, they noted.
Similarly, one particular community had also voiced grave concern and petitioned the district administration as late as 22 December and yet the administration did not respond with appropriate steps and on 24 December violence erupted, they noted.
People belonging to all the communities have been victims of the violence which took place for more than a week, they noted. When the Opposition members asked the district collector about the applications made by the people of this community, the collector's response was evasive. He said that he was not in charge of the district on 22 December, 2007, and therefore not in a position to show if such a complaint was made or not. When asked as to what the official record says, he said that no official record was available. In many villages, people said that there is an absolute harmony between different communities in their villages and all on a sudden, the violence erupted resulting in arson, loot and riot. The silence of the district administration, in particular, the collector and the superintendent of police speaks volume, either it was an intentional action or gross dereliction of duty, charged the Opposition.
Hundreds of houses burnt in a village, the houses were looted and people were robbed in the presence of police, even hospitals and orphanages have not been spared, they noted.
The root cause of the trouble is the inclusion of the Kui community in the list of the Scheduled Tribe by the then NDA government at the centre led by the BJP in the year 2002. A section of the people opposed it on the ground that a section of the Scheduled Caste population would try to recognise themselves as members of the Scheduled Tribe.
Though this resentment of a section of the people was known to the state government, it did not take any action, which dissatisfied and ultimately resulted in a recent explosion. The communal forces took advantage of the tribal uprising and resorted to large-scale violence, they alleged. Relief and rehabilitation is far from satisfactory. The blanket were of poor quality. Some people said that except 16 kg of rice, they have received no food. The Opposition delegation which met the Governor included Mr Jayadev Jena, Mr Narasingha Mishra, Mr Prasad Harichandan (all Congress), Mr Dibakar Nayak (CPI), Mr Sivaji Patnaik, Mr Santosh Das (CPM), Mr Amar Satpathy (NCP), Mr Harish Mohapatra(RJD), Mr Arun Jena (JMM), Mr Balaram Sahu and Mr Rabi Behera.

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