Badapada: displaced women and children imprisoned for a month by Vedanta and police

Badapada: the jailed women and children tell their story

19th June.  This report, directly from a Foil Vedanta team on the ground in Niyamgiri, tells a shocking story of the month long imprisonment of a group of Dalit women and children displaced by Vedanta’s Lanjigarh refinery. The testimonies provide clear evidence of the collusion of Vedanta and police working as one, and show the callous nature of their outright disregard for human rights or basic morality. Foil Vedanta is now following this case up with local lawyers.

Please also see the video interview with Padma Tandi here.

On 10th June 2013, a team of three Foil Vedanta activists visited Badapada village in Lanjigarh. Badapada is a Dalit village, where the villagers had lost agricultural land to Vedanta when the company was establishing the Lanjigarh refinery. As a result of Vedanta not adhering to any of its resettlement promises, the villagers have registered an association called “Vedanta Land Loser’s Association”, to demand proper implementation of the rehabilitation processes and to seek accountability from Vedanta and the state for promises made to them before the refinery was set up on their land. Mr. Kumar, a retired school teacher, who is the President of the Vedanta Land Loser’s Association, told us,

Vedanta’s CSR: Resettlement ‘prison’ and false arrests at Lanjigarh

18th June, 2013.  This report comes direct from members of the Foil Vedanta team on the ground in Niyamgiri:

Vedanta's resettlment colony at Lanjigarh with Niyamgiri

Vedanta Raj- Age of New License Raj and Draconian Policing

On 7th June 2013, a four member team visited the Vedanta re-settlement colony in Lanjigarh, known as Vedanta Nagar, to interview a few people people settled there. As soon as we entered the colony, Vedanta’s Public Relations Officer – Mr. Siddharth Behera, and the Associate officer in charge of the colony – Mr Srikant Bohidar appeared riding a motorcycle, and started questioning us about what we were doing there and who we were. One of our team was a journalist with a press card, when he showed this one of the officers looked particularly worried. He started calling up higher level officials.

Dongria pressure Governor to consult all villages in gram sabhas

On Wednesday a group of eighteen Dongria Kond from the threatened Niyamgiri mountain range in Odisha, India descended on Bhubaneswar to meet the Odisha Governor SC Jamir demanding that all affected villages are consulted on how their religious and cultural rights would be affected by Vedanta’s proposed mine. As a result the Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Caste Development department of the Odisha State government now claims to be taking legal advice about whether it will have to increase the number of villages consulted, saying it believed the Supreme Court’s order only referred to twelve hillslope villages previously consulted.

Police forces threaten Dongria not to oppose mine

Dongria woman demonstrates how CRPF attacked them (video excerpt)

Foil Vedanta  Press Release,          Friday 7th June 2013

Reports from the Niyamgiri hills have confirmed that CRPF special forces have been targeting villages who are opposing Vedanta’s proposed mine, threatening them not to do so, and destroying grain stores and items of worship in their homesteads. One incident involved unprovoked firing on a group of women and children bathing in a waterfall at Batudi village. A Dongria woman has been filmed reporting these abuses. Meanwhile in London, a group of UK members of parliament have expressed their concern over the Palli Sabha process, alerting UK authorities to monitor the behaviour of British mining company Vedanta Resources, who are attempting to mine the mountain with Odisha state support.

Dongria woman tells the story of CRPF raids

Interviews with Dongria Kond people taken yesterday evening confirm recent reports that Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been active in the Niyamgiri hills carrying out ‘combing operations’ and threatening villages. They have allegedly set up a base in a cotton market yard in Muniguda (a nearby town) and make frequent trips to the mountain, in particular to Jarpa, Khambeshi and Lacpadar villages(1). The reports, sent by local journalists, claim that CRPF forces have told the tribals not to oppose the mine, asked to see their leaders, spilled their food stores, and taken their traditional weapons and guns which are kept to protect them from elephants. Even NGOs and other service providers – who had gone to Niyamgiri to try to assist in the current gram sahba process which will decide the fate of the mountain vis a vis Vedanta’s proposed mine – are leaving the area afraid for their lives following the harassment, they state.

In a film, now posted on the internet a Dongria woman (who did not want to reveal her name for fear of retribution by the forces) states;

“Few days back we were gathering forest products near our village. At that time so many armed forces arrived and they pointed guns at us and surrounded us. They started asking “where is Lada (the tribal leader)? Where have you hidden the maoists ? Where have you hidden the weapons? Why are you opposing mining?” Some one from the behind yelled – ‘If you resist the mining you will be killed like dogs’.”

Local activist Satya Mahar of Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti has now made a statement on the harassment online.

A letter from social activists who reported these abuses to the Human Rights Commission of Odisha is also posted below.

Odisha government tries every trick in the book with Supreme Court Niyamgiri verdict

When the Supreme Court announced its verdict to hand the decision on Vedanta’s Niyamgiri mine back to the Dongria Kond and other affected people via a complex process of legal claim filing, gram sabhas and a final MoEF nod, both Vedanta and their opposition celebrated. The court judges knew what they had done. Rather than giving a yes or no verdict they had taken the path of least resistance and delivered such a loosely worded judgement that it was wide open to interpretation and abuse – pitting the Odisha government and Vedanta, and the affected people and their supporters against each other once again.

Now, as the Odisha state finally launches the gram sabha (village council) process after six weeks of deliberation, the weak nature of the Supreme Court’s vaguely worded judgement has become even more evident. This article documents some of the ways in which the judgement, which has been hailed as a precedent bottom-up democratic process, is being manipulated in an attempt to prevent the strong anti-Vedanta opinion on Niyamgiri from being properly heard.

UK MP’s open letter demands fair process at Niyamgiri

This open letter signed by a number of UK MPs and other public figures expresses concern about the track record of Vedanta and asks UK parliamentarians and ombudsmen to monitor the upcoming decision making on Niyamgiri, and ensure it is fair and adheres to UK and international conventions:

14th May.   Open Letter

Dear: Hon. Members of Parliament, Lord Adair Turner – Financial Services Authority and UK Listings Authority, Martin Wheatley – Financial Conduct Authority, UK National Contact Point for the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises.

We are public figures concerned with the activities of British registered company Vedanta Resources and the environmental and social violations the company has been convicted of in India, Zambia and elsewhere. For example, in March Vedanta’s copper plant in Tamil Nadu, India was shut down following a major gas leak which affected thousands of people living near the factory. In particular we are registering our concern about the behaviour of Vedanta with regards to their proposed Niyamgiri mine and existing Lanjigarh refinery in Kalahandi, Odisha.

Six day protest march demands justice at Niyamgiri

This week more than 5000 Dongria Kondh tribals and other farmers and local people from grassroots group Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti conducted a six day foot march (Padayatra) to visit 104 villages on and around the Niyamgiri mountains. The marchers stopped in the villages to make them aware of the upcoming gram sabha (village council) hearings which will determine the fate of the Niyamgiri hills and their livelihoods in the next month or so. Foil Vedanta’s orange banner featured heavily in the march. It was brought by our delegation who will be working alongside the NSS and Dongria in Odisha in the coming weeks.

At the same time the Odisha government has now announced that gram sabhas will be held in only twelve villages, while Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti point out that 160 villages will be affected by the mine. The selected villages are five in Kalahandi district – Jadijhola, Palbiri, Phuldumer, Ejurpa and Konakadu, and seven in Rayagada district – Jharpa, Khambesi, Kesharpadi, Batuli, Serkapadi, Lakhpadar and Lamba.

Meanwhile the tribal affairs minister V.Kishore Chandra Deo has written to the Odisha state governor S C Jamir decrying the impact of ‘indiscriminate mining activities’ on scheduled tribes and urging him to use his special powers under Schedule V of the constitution to stop the mine at Niyamgiri and withdraw the MoU. Jamir then convened a joint meeting of ST/SC Development, Steel & Mines and Forest & Environment Secretaries and the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) to allegedly ‘take stock of the status of Niyamgiri hills’.

Photos, video news-clips and statements below.

Police attack protesters at bauxite dam – Lower Suktel, Odisha.

Amitabh Patra (left) and others injured by police attack

On Monday 29th April more than 10 platoons of police attacked a peaceful gathering of around 2000 people who were sitting on the bed of the threatened Suktel river, which is being dammed for another major aluminium project in Odisha. In a brutal lathi charge 16 people were arrested and others injured. Most seriously injured was Amitabh Patra, an activist film maker who had been documenting the protests and the police brutality. His head and camera were smashed and he was unconscious for two hours before being taken to hospital where he regained consciousness. Another journalist and poet Lenin Kumar was also injured and arrested. The 16 are now in Bolangir jail where demonstrations are being held demanding their release.

The arrested farmers, tribal women and journalists are: Bhadrasen Chatria, Manchand Sahu, Minaketan Chand, Narayan Swain, Cheturam Rajput, Phula Pradhan, Nilakanti Sahu, Girija Pradhan, Panchali Pradhan,Sukanti Bariha, Bhanumati Bariha, Sarojini Bhua, Sushila Bariha, Subhakeshi Bariha, Amitabh Patra, and Lenin Kumar.

The attack can be seen on this footage which was saved from the scene.
More about the Lower Suktel project below.

Video: Supreme Court verdict celebrated on Niyamgiri

This short footage was taken yesterday as Niyamgiri dwellers celebrated the Supreme Court’s verdict, while also cautioning that the company and state officials must stay away from the process. In his interview Kutia Kond activist Kumuti Majhi states:

“When the Orissa chief minister came to lay foundation [of Vedanta's project], if we were five of us, they were a hundred. The [company] staff and men had stopped local people on the way and threatened them away; they get up to such conspiracies!

The government now thought of giving us also a chance to voice about our rights; we hope that this will help us. But, if they continue to employ police and goons against us, this [verdict] appears to be going in their [Vedanta's] favour only.”

Protest at Vedanta HQ as Supreme Court decision announced

Indian Supreme Court judges today handed the final decision on Vedanta’s Niyamgiri mine to the Dongria Kond tribe and farmers living around the mountain. Two Gram Sabha’s (village councils) or local self-government within 10km of the proposed mine should announce their decision to the Ministry of Environment and Forests within three months¹. The decision will have a major financial and reputational impact on Vedanta and may force them to close their Lanjigarh refinery, costing them billions.

In London, activists from Foil Vedanta and other grassroots groups descended on Vedanta’s nominal Mayfair headquarters later today celebrating what they see as a victory for local self-determination, but calling for thorough independent oversight of the decision making process which they say is wide open to abuse by Vedanta officials and state police. They held a loud noise demonstration, and held a banner stating ‘MoEF: No u-turn on Niyamgiri’ while shouting slogans with a large megaphone. The protesters again called for Vedanta to be de-listed from the London Stock Exchange for poor corporate governance and human rights crimes.

See the video of today’s demo here, and another short clip here.

More photos on demotix here.

See video of celebrations on Niyamgiri mountain as the verdict was delivered and an interview with Kumuti Majhi here.