Urgent appeal to protect the Dalit Human Rights Defender

Mr.Biswanath Patra at OHRC 

Mr.Biswanath Patra, a dalit human rights defender aged 26 years S/o Gobinda Chandra Patra, residents of Mulakhamba, Post- Damodarpur, Ps- Sukinda, Dist- Jajpur, State-Odisha,Country-India is under constant threats by the Kaliapani Police for his refusal to act the informer of police particularly about the anti-displacement activists who have been spearheading the Bisthapan Birodhi Janamanch Movement against the forcibly displaced persons from their farm and homestead lands at Kalinganagar,Jajpur disrtrict of Odisha to make way for companies to set up steel plants. 

Mr. Patra has incurred the wrath of the local police for his social activism in respect of human rights violations of the poor schedule caste & schedule tribe inhabitants whose source of livelihood, farm and homestead lands have been forcibly taken away for meagre compensation against their will to allot those land in favour of steel plant companies. In August of 2011, he was called to Kaliapani police station by the IIC, Mr.Raisen Murmu and was interrogated about his association with Rabindra Jarika and Chakradhar Alda the two local tribal leaders who have been leading the local movement against such unfair displacement of poor SC and ST people from their lands. He was asked to inform about Bisthapan Virodhi Janamanch leader like Jarika & Alda and who other leaders were behind the movement and who was financing the movement etc.  He promptly replied he is a human rights defender and have lent only support to the movement and least concerned who others were taking leading part or not. The police threatened him as playing politics and cautioned about his activities and asked to go. 

On August 20th, the Inspector In Charge(IIC)Shri Murmu came to Mr.Patra’s home and asked him to meet the Superintendent of Police[SP] Shri Deepak Kumar at his Panikoili Office. He asked him the reason for being called to meet the S.P. Shri Murmu however assured that the S.P wanted to meet him as an activist and nothing more should be read in to it. Then the IIC took him in his official vehicle to the SP’s office. The S.P Shri Deepak Kumar first asked him how he knew Jhumuri Munda, a tribal girl who had been shot and wounded in her left feet by SOG Jawan’s bullet at Garad Bahala under Harichandanpur P.S, in her own home in 2011 and whom the defender had taken to the hospital for treatment and subsequently she won against the SOG Jawans brutality by getting Rs 35,000/- compensation awarded by the State Human Rights Commission in 2011. He further replied that as a human rights defender it was his duty to take a wounded innocent tribal girl like Jhumuri Munda, who had become an innocent victim in SOG combing operations. Then the SP asked him about his leading role in a public hearing on pollution issue relating to Odisha Mining Corporation’s (OMC) expansion plan for their mining operation in the area. Then the S.P tried to induce Mr Patra by offering me a local job with a monthly salary of Rs. 3000/-. If he could help resolve the impasse between OMC’s expansion plan and the local people’s reluctance to give consent in the public hearing. He expressed his inability explaining that it was not within his capacity to resolve the impasse. The S.P asked him to go and think about his offer. 

Again on March 1, 2012, about 11.30am the IIC Shri Murmu telephoned him asking to go and meet the SP by 4 P.M to which he expressed his inability to comply as he had no vehicle to take the journey. Shri Murmu then offered to collect him from home and taken to the SP’s office, which he did and left him with the S.P. The S.P shouted a threatening tone and said ‘your pride (Charbi) has swollen (fattened) and you are not heeding to our advice. Then he insinuated that he had reports that the defender was involved with maoist elements and leading support to them. He further threatened that either he work for them as their informer otherwise he will lose his life in encounter or will rot in jail. He politely said as a human rights defender he can not accept the job as a police informer and then the SP asked him to go and think deeply about his advice and tell him about his decision by 8 P.M. the same night. Since he had nothing to say to him about their demand he did not respond by 8 P.M.

Around 2 am in the same night a posse of police team led by Kumar Nayak, S.I of Sukinda PS came to his house. he knew the purpose of their visit. There was no option for him but fled from his home by the rear side in the dead of the night. 

He took shelter with a friend in the nearby village and came to Bhubaneswar next day. Since then he is anticipating his life threat if he return his home. He also heard from his mother that the night of his flight they threatened his mother asking her to persuade his son to report at the Police Station or else they will not be responsible for her son’s life. Even now he is hearing from his family that everyday few police persons are moving here and there in front of his house.

Mr.Biswanath Patra addresing to Media

Under this circumstance, I appeal to you to take an urgent action to protect the life of the defender from the police threat who are trying to eliminate him if he don’t abandon his human rights activism and become their stooge and informer. His constitutional rights to life, freedom of movement and right to association have been not only grossly violated but also danger for his life. 

With regards,

Sincerely Yours

     Mr. Manoj Jena                                                                   

     Convenor,HRF

298,Ganga Nagar,Unit-VI,Bhubaneswar,Odisha,India

Ph.No- +91-674- 2595973, 09437178921

Email: humanrightsfront.india@gmail.com

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