Public Interest Groups walk into Tata Steel office in Bangalore
risking arrest and submit representation

Today, Jan 30th, is Martyrs' Day -- in memory of Gandhiji's sacrifice
and all those who have laid down their lives to protect our freedom
and our common future.

Tragically this year began for the tribal communities in Kalinganagar
in Orissa, with the brutal killings of 12 of their own, simply
because they disagreed with the Orissa Government's and Tata Steel's
proposal to set up a massive steel plant on their land. For long
communities displaced for mining and industrialisation have not been
adequately compensated or rehabilitated, including by Tata Steel.
Fearing their fate would be the same, the project affected
communities of Kalinganagar wanted to be properly compensated first
before being dispossessed.

Tata Steel Ltd (TSL), has been allotted 2400 acres in Kalinga Nagar
for the construction of a six million tonne plant. The land that the
government purchased at the rate of Rs. 37,000/- per acre in 1994
from some of the affected families (not all affected have been yet
counted for project impact and rehabilitation), was sold to the Tata
Co. for Rs. 3,35,000/- thus making for the State a net profit of Rs
715,200,000 and at the same time giving the Tata Company a savings of
over Rs. 87,600,000 over the market price. The current market price
ranges between Rs. 5,00,000 to 7,00,000 per acre. It was this
dispute over compensation that was on the negotiation table till 2nd
January and was the reason why the people had assembled to prevent
the bull-dozers from destroying their houses and taking over their
lands that fatal day. On the land-rights question the Adivasis were
in possession of the land making any entry on their land illegal.
They were in their right to question the operations of the Orissa
Government and Tata Co. on their land on that day.

In this context when the tribals demanded of the Deputy Commissioner
of the Jajpur district, the police and Tata company officials to stop
building a wall around their land, they did not realise they were
walking into a trap. All they wanted to do was reason with the
administration against building the wall till such time they
understood what this project was all about and accepted to give up
their lands if in the wider public interest and on fair terms. The
administration refused to negotiate. At this time, one of the
tribals tripped on a string of a dynamite planted by Tata Steel in
the football field where people had gathered. The dynamite went off
destroying his leg and caused panic. As anger spread across those
gathered against such terrible violence, the police started lobbying
tear gas shells and also opening fire without warning.

Six people died on the spot. Several were innocent bystanders,
including women and children. Most were shot through the back,
clearly indicating they were retreating. Six more that were injured
were removed by the police ostensibly to a hospital. But they never
came out alive. Their bodies were returned later and horrifically
found to be missing breasts (in the case of women) and genital organs
in the case of men. This is in addition to all their hands being cut
off. Orissa State, the police and the Tatas were sending an ominous
message by this sexually perverted cold-blooded murder.

Tatas refuse to accept responsibility even morally:

In light of such a heinous crime, all that Tata Steel has done is to
disown any responsibility in this crime. Sanjay Choudhry, a Tata
spokesman has commented in an email: "….., at the risk of your
thinking that we are trying to save our skins, that Tata Steel has
been in discussions with the villagers for over a year and that has
been our way since all time." Mr. Choudhry simply does not even
understand the implications of how grave these violations are and
proceeds to claim indifferently : "…industrialization is imminent
and the only way to improve the standard of life of all the people
of the area. The only issue is that of resettlement and rehablitation
at mutually agreed terms."

Not only does this reflect very poorly on India's corporate leader,
but it clearly send the message out that the Tatas too believe that
corporate profit is prime, even over lives and livelihoods. Such
tactics would put to shame even British Gen. Dyer who was responsible
for the Jallianwalla Bagh massacre.

Such injustice as in Kalinganagar cannot be tolerated. It must be
thoroughly investigated and the guilty arrested, be they amongst the
police, Orissa state administration or the Tatas.

Simply stated Tata Steel must get out of Kalinganagar. Ratan Tata,
Chairman, Tata Group, must own moral responsibility for the
Kalinganagar massacre and brutal mutilation that followed. All
demands made by the joint committee of the tribal and project
affected communities in Kalinganagar must be adhered to.

Bangalore Groups protest Kalinganagar massacre by walking into Tata
Steel's Bangalore office:

To ensure that Tata Steel which has so far been reticent and
dismissive of such just demands, and to protest against their
continued disowning of any responsibility for the brutal massacre,
representatives of Environment Support Group, EQUATIONS, CIEDS
Collective and various individuals walked into the Tata Steel office
to submit a representation with the above demands (signed
representation enclosed).

Three children aged 4, 5 and 8, nine women and five men walked into
the Tata Steel office in Bangalore peacefully holding placards with
messages such as: Tatas: Making Steel out of Blood; Tatas Benefit
over Tribal Rights; Tata Steel: Strength over Justice; Tatas: Look
your Hands are Bloody!; etc. The office was filled with over fifty
men of Tata Steel who were shocked by this sudden presence and
messages. Realising this was a statement of their guilt, they
quickly proceeded to collectively accost this small number.

The Tata Steel men started surrounded this group, shouting violently
at the women and children, even pushing them around and using bad
language. The protestors informed them that they were well aware
that they are breaking "the Law", but doing it for a just cause.
Tata Steel was reminded that they were well within their rights to
call the police if they wished to, but had no business to shout at
the small gathering at all, especially when almost all of Tata Steel
employees were men, some quite brazen in their behaviour. Soon this
crowd began to threaten dire action and even pushed out several
women. Two women, three children, and four men were left inside and
locked in. One of the Tata Steel employees also attempted to grab a
camera which was with the protestors.

Tata Steel employees were repeatedly told that the purpose of this
willing entry into their office was to submit a representation in
protest against the Kalinganagar killings. That once a key
representative came forward and accepted this representation, the
protestors would leave. Without heeding to this plea, Tata Steel
called in the police, who initially were only men. Eventually an
Inspector arrived to arrest the protestors, and he was informed that
he could not arrest unless there were women police, as the protestors
included women and children. Women police were called in eventually,
about an hour after the protestors had been locked inside.

The police demanded of Tata Steel to lodge a complaint so that the
arrest could be executed. But for reasons best known to them key
executive of Tata Steel who were in constant touch with their
Headquarters did not want to lodge an official complaint to execute
the arrest. As a result the protestors were allowed to go.

It is a sad statement of Tata Steel's corporate culture that they had
to use aggressive behaviour against peaceful protestors who merely
wanted them to remember the the Kalinganagar victims were victims of
crime by a corporate-state nexus for profit at any cost. The
Bangalore action was but a symbolic peaceful protest in memory of the
12 killed in Kalinganagar, for their people now proclaim: "We will
not allow OUR habitat - land, water and forest-that supports our life
to be overrun by industrialists or the State"

Signatories:

Leo F. Saldanha, Subbu Sastry, Mallesh K. R., Priya, Rohan D'souza,
Malavika, Arathi, Shubra of Environment Support Group

Vidya Rangan, Aditi Chanchani, and Kavita Kanan of Equations

Altaf Ahmed of CIEDS Collective

Vidhi Parthasarathy of Vikasana School

Lakshmi Nilakantan and children, especially Prahlad (8) who
understands why he came for the protest.

Environment Support Group ®
S-3, Rajashree Apartments, 18/57, 1st Main Road, S. R. K. Gardens,
Jayanagar, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore 560041. INDIA
Telefax: 91-80-26341977/26531339/26534364 Telefax: 91-80-51179912
Email: esg@esgindia.org or esg@bgl.vsnl.net.in Web: www.esgindia.org

Related Links
AIKMS Report from Kalinganagar Visit
Signing Away Orissa - The POSCO MoU
Economic Impact of Externalities
P.M. Manmohan Singh and Swaraj
Tribal Campaign for Survival and Dignity