The Odisha lok Sangram Manch and the Niyamgiri Suraksha Manch took out a joint protest rally in Muniguda to protest arrest of tribal leader Haribandhu Kadraka, who has been fighting for the rights of the tribal people of the district for years.
Hundreds of tribal people from Niyamgiri hill and its periphery areas joined the rally, which started from Munikhol and culminated at Muniguda town. The protesters held a public meeting in front of the Muniguda police station.Addressing the meeting, Odisha lok Sangram Manch president Kusanath Pradhan and Niyamgiri Suraksha Manch president lingaraj Azad demanded unconditional release of Kadraka with immediate effect.
“We have demanded immediate release of Kadraka. If the State Government fails to meet our demand, we would intensify the agitation”, they warned. CPI (Ml) national spokesman Bhala Chandra Sarangi said the police have tried to silence a rights activist like Haribandhu by arresting him and branding him as a Maoist.“Not only Haribandhu, there are several other tribals who have fallen victim to the police repression here,” he added. Apprehending law and order situation, the district administration had deployed four platoons of armed police in the area.
It may be mentioned here that the Muniguda police had arrested Kadraka, former president of Odisha lok Sangram Manch, on October 20 last on the charge of planting landmines at a culvert at Sarabali village and later forwarded him to court.