Forest Dept In Dock: NHRC Notice On ‘Forceful Eviction’ Of 34 Families In Odisha’s Kalahandi

Bhubaneswar: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed the Odisha government to initiate action against the alleged forceful eviction of 200 people from 34 scheduled tribal and scheduled csste families in Kalahandi district and submit an action taken report in six weeks.

Bhawanipatna-based human rights activist Dilip Kumar Das had moved the rights panel, alleging that these people of Bhatapani and Dumerpani hamlets of Gotomunda gram panchayat under Ampani police limits of Koksara block in Kalahandi district, have become homeless after their houses were damaged and belongings stolen by a group of miscreants of Gotomunda village on June 30.

Since then, these families have been staying in a primary school in neighbouring Nabarangpur, where the administration is providing them food, and in some shanties, he said.

A case (FIR No. 56/21) has been registered at Ampani police station in Kalahandi in this regard, he added.

Das said the 34 families have been living in these hamlets for the last 25 years and eking out a living by farming and as daily wage earners. They had already enrolled themselves as voters of Kalahandi district, have Aadhar cards and availing benefits of all government schemes.

He further alleged the Forest officials of Kalahandi have been demolishing and burning down houses of tribals and forest dwellers, who sustain themselves by cultivating on forest land. “A few years back, the forest officials of the same area had burnt down houses of tribals in adjoining Birimuhan village. Some miscreants had demolished all the houses, physically assaulted the women and children, looted all their belongings and killed their domestic animals and birds, damaged all plants in the backyard and poisoned the drinking water source,” the complainant alleged. 

Alleging gross violation of human rights and provisions of ST & SC (PoA) Act 1989 in these cases, Das had requested the commission to intervene.

“The allegations made by the complainant are grave as the state cannot adopt such illegal tactics against the poor villagers belonging to the lower strata of the society. Let a copy of the complaint be transmitted to Additional Chief Secretary/ Principal Secretary, Department of Forest, Government of Odisha, the District Magistrate, and the SP of Kalahandi to take the needful actions in the matter and submit an action taken report to the commission within six weeks,” the NHRC said.

THE INCIDENT:

The victims alleged that some miscreants along with members of Van Surakhya Samiti (VSS) assaulted them and ransacked their homes, looted utensils, ornaments, domestic animals and asked them to vacate the place.

The incident is being attributed to a conflict between the two groups, which reportedly flared up after the victims denied to pay some amount to the Gotamunda villagers out of their earnings from their maize cultivation.

Following this, a peace committee meeting was called and an appeal was made not to escalate violence. It was decided that the victims would be relocated by the Nabarangpur administration and till then they can stay in their respective villages for six months without cutting trees in the forests, the sources added.

DFO, South division of Kalahandi, T Ashok Kumar said the victims had been living in Sahajkhol reserve forest but denied the involvement of forest staff in the incident. He further added that no eviction letter was issued to the Tehsildar.

Meanwhile, members of the Youth Congress and the grand old party’s SC cell of the district, who met the victims, have threatened to hit the streets over police inaction in the matter.