Saturday, August 1, 2015

OHRC directs collector and CDMO on Police atrocity at Belabahali village

Direction of OHRC to Collector and CDMO, Keonjhar to make an on the spot Study of Situation of Belabahali village and send a team of health workers to provide necessary medical facilities to the villagers

On 28.7.15, a Team of Human Rights Activists and Lawyers filed complaint to Odisha Human Rights Commission seeking  immediate intervention of the Commission  to withdraw huge police force  deployed  around Belabahali  village under Anandpur Sub-division   of Keonjhar district  and direct the Chief District Medical Officer, Keonjhar to send a well-equipped health team to provide treatment to the people suffering from various diseases and wounded due to police attack.  It was reported to the Team  that  a old man suffering from paralysis  died  due to lack of treatment.

It needs to be mentioned here that  since last twenty days, the police force have been cordoning  the  whole village  inhabited by around 10,000 people  after brutal police  attack and atrocity  on the innocent  villagers  who have been   opposing  proposed diversion and expansion  of the road  and construction of new  bridge  on 215 National Highway  over Kushei river    by National Highway Authority  of India and the State  Government  on the pretext that it  would create water-logging  and flood  in the area and damage 2000 hectares of agriculture  land   leading to putting adverse  impact  on their economy. 

15-member  Civil Society Groups had visited  to  Belabahali  village  on 18.7.15  to ascertain the fact  about the incident  and magnitude of police atrocity  and reason  of it. The Team noticed  the pathetic  situation of the  villagers  and  their helplessness  in the  village.  Having been frightened  and to evade arrest, the villagers could not go to agriculture field for cultivation. The children could not go to the school.  The students could not go to apply form for admission and entrance test for job. The people who have suffered injury are not allowed for treatment.  

After returning from the villager, the team along with other activists had organised protest Dharana in front of  the office of Director General  of  police  and submitted memorandum demanding  withdrawal of police from the village and false cases filed  against the villagers. 

Finding no action from the Director General of Police,  the Team personally met  Acting  Chairman, Odisha Human Rights Commission  and  sought commission’s immediate intervention  in order to provide justice to the  villagers.  The Commission taking into consideration the plea of  Human Rights Activists  issued  order  to  the  Collector and CDMO, Keonjhar district   to make an on the spot Study of Situation of Belabahali village and send a team of health workers to provide necessary medical facilities to the villagers within 3 weeks  and fixed  the date  24.8.15  for further orders.

The Team members  who met  OHRC  were Sri Pradip Pradhan, Pratap sahu, Sri Sudhir Mohanty, advocate, Odisha High Court,  Sachikant Pradhan, Sri Debashis Hota, Trade Uion Leader, Sanjay sahu, Jayant Das, RTI Activist, Menaka Kinnar etc.

Pradip Pradhan, M-9937843482
Date- 31.07.2015

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