URGENT Call to Action for the immediate withdrawal of the trumped up
cases against 4 Indian leaders of VVJVA and for their unconditional
release

To: All the ILPS Philippine Chapter member organizations

Re: URGENT Call to Action for the immediate withdrawal of the trumped
up cases against

4 Indian leaders of VVJVA and for their unconditional release

In the past weeks reports have been coming in from the ILPS General
Secretariat informing us of an urgent and alarming situation in
Orissa, a state of India and asking us to take solidarity action for
the immediate withdrawal of the trumped up cases and demand for the
immediate and unconditional release of Davendar Das, Protima Das, Amin
Maharana and Pradeep.

According to the reports, the government of the state of Orissa has
signed agreements with many big corporations, which displaced millions
of people, mostly the adivasis (indigenous peoples), dalits (the
untouchables or lower caste) and poor farmers. Many of them were
jailed and many more are in the process of being evicted from their
farms and homes. The mining operations will have a very bad impact on
the environment.

The resistance of the people of Orissa are intensifying against the
state and these corporations.

The state of Orissa responded by arresting hundreds of struggling
masses all over Orissa, while tens of thousands have been framed under
false and trumped up charges. The attack by the State is aimed at
suppressing the resistance movement against the forced displacement of
people and to facilitate the sale of people’s lands and natural
resources to the domestic and foreign corporate giants amassing huge
commissions. Goons which are actively assisted by the state elite
police forces are also used by these corporations to coerce and
intimidate the people and even kill them.

On the night of August 2008 Protima Das, a woman advocate practicing
at Bhuvaneswar High Court and Pradeep, an anti-displacement activist
from Sukinda were arrested along with David Pugh, a social scientist
and teacher from the US. Protima Das accompanied David Pugh as a
translator, while Pradeep as a route guide. They were all
psychologically tortured. Dave was allowed to leave the country after
he was illegally detained and undergone interrogation at the police
station and at the hotel.

Devendar Das, a Central Council member of Vithapan Virodhi Jan Vikas
Andalan (VVJVA) was taken from his house. He, Protima and Pradeep
were charged with serious politico-criminal cases on purely trumped up
charges of having relations with the Maoists.

Amin Maharana, another Central Council member of VVJVA, was arrested
from his hotel room of Yatri Niwas at around the same time. He just
came from a 2-day Steering Committee Meeting after the public hearing
on the displacement issue in Orissa where he gave a comprehensive
report on displacement. He was tortured while in a 5-day custody by
the police officials. He was incommunicado and it was only when
people all over the country demanded to produce him in person was he
produced on 17th August after he was charged of serious
politico-criminal cases.

The VVJVA appeals to all democratic-minded individuals and
organizations in the country and abroad to condemn the arrests of the
anti-displacement activists in Orissa and the corporate and state
violence on the resistance movement of the people against
displacement.

They are particularly asking the ILPS member organizations, supporters
and friends and all other democratic and freedom loving organizations
and individuals to demand that the trumped up cases

against Protima, Devendar Das, Amin Maharana and Pradeep be
immediately withdrawn and they be released unconditionally. Also to
demand that the Orissa authorities come up with a public apology for
unjustified harassment of anti-displacement activists.

Please see the attached paper for the list of those they are asking us
to write to. Here is also address of the Indian Ambassador and their
Embassy here in the Philippines.

Embassy of the Republic of India

H.E. Rajeet Mitter, AEP

Ambassador

190 Paraiso Street, Dasmarinas Village
Makati City Tel. 843-0101; 843-0102
894-5765 (PABX) Fax 815-8151; 892-7301 Website www.embindia.org.ph

Working Hours Monday to Friday, 0900 to 1300

In response to the call from the ILPS International Campaign against
Forced Displacement and Special Economic Zones, the ILPS Philippines
Chapter will hold a picket rally near the gate of the Dasmariñas
Village, along Edsa on September 5 at 10am. A letter of protest from
ILPS Philippine Chapter will be delivered to the Indian Ambassador in
the Philippines by a few representatives of the ILPS Philippine
Chapter. This will be done just before the picket rally.

We are calling on the ILPS member organizations in the NCR to
participate in the picket rally. Kindly bring placards and flags of
your organization and the ILPS. Assembly is at 9am at the Petron gas
station at the corner of Edsa and Pasay Road. .

Kindly cc the Philippine Secretariat of your messages.

ILPS Philippine Chapter

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27th August 2008 | Filed under: News | Click here to follow any responses to this entry: RSS 2.0 feed