PRAGOTI

Press release from Citizens for Justice and Peace on Kandhamal victims

Citizens for Justice and Peace 
 

      Press Release 

Indigenous Peoples’ Victim Survivors from Kandhmahals District Orissa demand: 

(Backgrounder of Deelegation ) 

• Elections in the Kandmahals district should be postponed; 22,000 voters unaccounted for; 1, 17590 badly affected; Election Commission should monitor hate speech by perpetrators of mass crimes in Kandhmahals;

• Continuing Violence against Women and Children of Kandhmahals District should be stopped; Young women are being assaulted even now.

• State Government should not forcibly close down Relief Camps; Restoration of Sustainable Livelihood Systems with Security should be Assured; State Government should bring back each and every person rendered displaced, with full guarantee of safety, back to the Kandhmahals.

• Proper Assessment of Human Loss, & Complete Damage to 300 Villages be Assessed and Reparation Paid;

• Children and Young Persons who are out of school and college should be adequately compesnated ( 12 Blocks of Kandhmahals); in Jaiudaygiri Block alone 300 college goiung youth and 1,000 school children have been displaced.

• Punishment of the Guilty Masterminds of anti-minority Violence; Punishment of the Guilty and Restoration of the failing Criminal Justice System; Setting Up of Special Courts, Special Public Proescutors in Bhubaneshwar under the Monitor of the National Human Rights Commission; Arrest of the Accused.

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Nirant, Juhu Tara Road, Juhu, Mumbai – 400 049. Ph: 2660 2288 email: cjp02in@yahoo.com 
 

A delegation of 20 tribals and indigenous peoples from the Kandhmahals region of Orissa badly traumatised by the communal violence accompanied by local activists are in the capital since March 23 and will meet the Election Commission on Wednesday March 25, 2009. The delegation is appealing to the Election Commission  to address seriously the issue of disenfranchisement of over 22,000 indigenous peoples from this district and either consider postponement of elections in these areas or implement special measures to ensure their franchise for the displaced. 

Over the three day visit, the delegation has also met the National Human Rights Commission, the National Minorities Commission and the office of the United Nations Commmissioner for Human Rights. To address the critical issues of the state meetings with national political parties have also been organised. 

On March 23 the petition file by victims and activists came up for hearing before the apex court and Chief Justice Balakrishnan posted it along with the Archbishops matter for hearing on April 6. The main prayer in the petition is for restraining the Orissa administration from forcible closure of relief camps and the stay on the functioning of the camp courts that in the situation where tribal Christians are unable to be pesent at the hearings are in effect rendering tribals landless.   
 
 
 
 

Teesta Setalvad, Secretary