Though a year will be completed to the unfortunate incident of police firing on anti-liquor protestors at Namatara village on Tuesday, but still terrible memories are afresh. More importantly, several firing victims’ wounds have not healed yet and for treatment expenses they have been moving from pillar to post.
The State Government’s announcement of RDC probe to the incident remains only on pen and paper, whereas the victims are yet to get compensation.
If one pays a visit to the non-descriptive Namatara village these days, the traces of suffering and fear related to the barbaric act still exist among the people. Marks of bullets on walls still remain intact.
Notably, hundreds of anti-liquor protestors of Namatara village, after having failed to get justice from the district administration despite the fact that they had umpteen times demanded for shifting a licenced IMFl off shop from the locality, on March 8, coinciding the International Women’s Day, had organized a stir and ransacked the liquor shop, besides torching a police vehicle. later, the irate agitators had pelted stones at police. In a retaliatory attack, police started baton charging. After a couple of hours, police force led by the then SP of Kendrapada Satish Kumar Gajbhiye rushed to the spot and started opening fire indiscriminately.
As many as nine persons, including school students, sustained injuries as bullets pierced into their bodies. Though the district administration earlier provided free medical treatment, but now it has turned a blind eye to the plight of the victims.
According to physical handicapped woman of Namatara Jayanti Sahu (30), she was cleaning her utensils when armed police barged into her house and beat her black and blue. Even they attempted to outrage her modesty, she told.
One Manmath Jena, who had sustained bullet injuries on his stomach, has been suffering with pain till date, alleged Baburam Jena, a block level leader of Rajkanika.
Similarly, Basanti Jena stated that police lathi charged her for no fault. The act of police was so inhumane that the armed police by breaking open the windows fired bullets at her family members, she alleged.
“I have been limping and failed to walk properly. I take five costly injections per month to get relief from pain,” lamented Sasmita Jena, a middle aged victim woman.
“My daughter Rita Jena, a class IV student of the local primary school, was injured in firing as a bullet pierced into her leg while she was coming from tuition on the way,” informed Manjulata Jena, the mother of the minor girl.
The injured victims also include daily wagers, who have been recoiling in pain as they have no money to run the treatment expenses.
Several leaders of different political parties and intellectual masses have demanded at least Rs 10 lakh compensation to each victim, but it is yet to be fulfilled.
Notably, some victims with the help of activists of Milita Odisha Nisha Nibaran Abhijan (MONNA) on July 16, 2015 knocked the doors of Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) on the compensation issue.
When contacted, district Collector Debaraj Senapati stated that the district administration has provided free treatment to all the victims at SCB Medical College and Hospital. The victims were discharged from hospital after they were cured, he informed.
But, Congress leader Ganeswar Behera charged the State Government believes in providing lip services and making announcements. “In true sense of the term, it has failed to keep its promises for the Namatara victims,” Behera lamented.