Independent Media consisting of a group of social activists in Orissa have presented what they say are the voices from the tribal communities while demanding that the mainstream media also present the concerns of the people. This report was sent by Nachiketa.

The reality of Kalinganagar is becoming obscured by subtle propaganda launched with the help of a compliant media and collaborating political parties. In this media blitz designed to obfuscate the reality of the situation, the tribal people of Kalinga Nagar have been the ones who have remained steadfast with their demands. It is interesting to note that those who visit Kalinga Nagar try to twist these demands to meet their own political agenda, and often miss the central and radical demands of the people of Kalinga Nagar, which simply says that they will not yield an inch of land for industries come what may. It may also be noted that they have demanded for a complete ban on industries in tribal areas and demanded the resignation of the CM and the Finance Minister and filing of criminal cases against them. They also demanded the immediate dismissal of the then Collector and SP and their arrest for murder.

It is for the fulfillment of these demands that the Tribal people of Kalinga Nagar continue to sit on the National Highway since last 12 days in the biting cold. They scorn the amounts of money being offered for compensation, and inspite of the efforts of the current "enlightened" Collector, continue to spurn all offers to bribe them. An offer for multipartite talk on 14 th Jan. was spurned by the tribals, even though the Collector, Jajpur, waited the whole day at Duburi.

It is also to be pointed out that they are angry, not only with the Government, but also with the media which refuses to believe the extent of police brutality and heinousness visited on innocent tribals. The media has very comfortably hidden the tribal people's grim version of the events of the 2 nd January, which depict the deliberate and callous killings indulged in by the State – however, the truth is trickling out bit by bit. Only yesterday the Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Kunwar Singh said that " people have alleged before the commission that the hands and private parts of the victims were chopped off after the post-mortems". Another fact finding team from OPDR said that dead bodies were dismembered with palms, breasts and other private organs being chopped off.

In our update on 4th Jan, 2005, we pointed out that "The firing was indiscriminate and in all directions, and continued for over an hour. Even people who were 200-300 meters away were injured. Many people who were trying to escape have bullet injuries in the back, whereas others, who stood and tried to fight back, have been injured in neck and torso in front….. Most shockingly, the representatives of Visthapan Virodhi Janamanch have alleged that six adivasies who were lightly injured and couldn't run away were picked up by the police, and their hands were chopped off by the police. The bodies have been received by the people and all the six bodies have their hands chopped off. Their names are Mukta Bankara (a woman), Landu Jarika, Bhagwan Sai, Jinga jarika, Ramu Gagare and Arti Jamuda ".

However, the police and the State administration initial said that chopping hands is a standard procedure in post mortem. Then they claimed that the Doctors conducting the post-mortem were at fault in cutting off and keeping the hands. The three doctors concerned were suspended, though they claimed that they were asked by the District Administration to cut and keep the hands. All this sounded very plausible and has been lapped up by the press and media, as well as the political parties. The chapter was more or less closed, till the relatives managed to get the explosive information about mutilated genitalia and breasts out to the press.

It is the same persons whose private parts (males) and breasts (female) were chopped off along with their hands. This was discovered by their relatives when they uncovered the bodies to wash them before they cremated them. The relatives said that they were too embarrassed and scared to inform everyone, as the situation was very explosive, and spreading of this information would have led to immediate retaliation by the assembled tribals and consequent bloodshed. However, all their efforts to inform the media after the cremation was in vain till the NDTV took up the issue in their national broadcast on 13 th January, 2005.

This information raised certain questions and provides directions for investigations. The District Administration has flatly refused the tribals claim that private parts have been chopped off. However, given the credibility of the District Administration, one has to give more credibility to the statements of the relatives of the deceased. Given the tribal culture, it's extremely embarrassing for the relatives to come up with this claim – but they have reiterated the fact of mutilation with press, including on camera. This claim strengthens the statement of the tribal leaders that the mutilations cut off not during the post-mortem, but by the police as an act of retribution, either before or after death of the injured tribals taken to Jajpur. If one considers this claim seriously, following questions come to mind:

i) Cutting of hand, genitalia and breasts are not part of post mortem procedures. However, these are standard means of extreme retribution and revenge all over the world, and especially in India.
ii) In case these were post-mortem removals, they are highly irregular and criminal in nature.
iii) Why were the people not informed in advance that body parts have been removed for post-mortem?
iv) The people say that all persons taken to Jajpur Hospital were lightly injured when they were picked up by the police. How is it that all persons taken to Jajpur Hospital ended up dead, and were returned with chopped off hands and private parts?
v) When cornered over the chopped hands, the administration suspended the Doctors. Why it is that even at that time, the administration didn't mention about the mutilations of private parts? Why is it trying to hide the same now?

One would provide the benefit of doubt to people's version, and therefore consider the grim possibility of deliberate murder of injured persons by cutting of their body organs as revenge by the police. Following must be done to set at rest this heinous possibility:

i) Immediate CBI enquiry into the circumstances of the death of these five persons whose body parts were chopped off.
ii) The doctors involved in the post-mortem must be immediately taken into CBI custody and questioned regarding the reality. Lie detector test must be carried out on them
iii) In case the body parts have been removed for post-mortem, they must be immediately sealed as evidence, and forensic tests carried out to find out whether they were severed from body before or after death, and what instruments were used to dismember them.
iv) In case the above body parts are not preserved as per the standard post-mortem procedure, it will be interpreted that important evidence has been destroyed to whitewash the murders, and that the State and Police are guilty of these heinous murders.

The above steps are necessary if justice is to be done to the tribals of Kalinganagar and clarify what has really happened.

Meanwhile, a number of Fact Finding teams and Delegations have visited Kalinganagar, met the tribal and have issues press releases. The report of one team of All India Kisan-Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS) is attached here.

Nachiketa may be reached at independent.media@gmail.com

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