Large numbers of tribal people on Tuesday observed ‘Black Day’ to mark the killing of 14 innocent tribals 18 years back in Ambagadia village near the Kalingnagar steel hub in Jajpur district.

The police had gunned down 14 tribal people, including three women, on January 2, 2006 while they were protesting against the construction of the boundary of Tata' s steel plant project.

Slogan-shouting tribals including many women and others took out a procession from Champakoila to Ambagadia and held a meeting at the martyrs’ tower. Addressing the meeting, Bisthapan Birodhi Jana Mancha (BBJM) secretary Rabindra Jaraka said, “The Government had not so far explained the reason behind the firing. The State Government is only too keen to sign MoUs with the big corporate houses and to practically give away the best deposits of iron ore as captive mines at a mere amount of royalty. The TATA built the steel plant over the bodies of tribal people.”

Jaraka also criticised the decision of the State Cabinet accepting the report of the Inquiry Commission on Kalinga Nagar firing. “In the report, the commission has not blamed the police for the killing of the14 tribal people for which we totally reject the report,” added Jaraka.

Six chopped palms of Kalinganagar victims have been waiting for decent cremation for 18 years. The doctors of the Government hospital in Jajpur had chopped off the palms of six of the bodies on January 2, 2006. Now the family members of the deceased need the chopped palms for decent cremation for which the Government should return to them the chopped hands,” demanded Jaraka.

The meeting was also addressed by Managobinda Besra of Adivasi Mahasabha, Abdul Wali of Republican Party of India, Soni Soni, CPIML leader Bhanuchandra Sarangi among others.