On the 23rd of May 2006, the Mahila Committee of the Bisthapan Virodhi Jan Manch, Sukinda, held an Anti-Displacement Women’s Conference. The Vir Bhumi located just off the National Highway 200, wherein lies the cremation ground of the martyrs of the agitation, was their backdrop. The NH road strip between the tree trunk blockades placed about I00 meters apart on the National Highway was their stage. Here gathered some 3000 women of the area to hear the Jan Manch Sukinda Mahila committee leaders and women invitees from other organizations, speak against the policies where displacement is sold by rulers in the name of development. They nodded gravely in approval as women of their area and some other areas vowed not to be alienated from the land where the bones of their forefathers lie buried. In rapt attention they heard women tell of the problems faced by displaced women – the loss of community security, the ugly face of cultural degradation due to exploitation by the alien society they are thrown into, loss of identity and of livelihood.

It is significant that of the women participating from the villages of the area the largest number were drawn from Gobar Ghati Colony – the rehabilitation colony set up by Jindal Co. in the area for those families displaced by Jindal Co. in Kalinga Nagar.

What Kalinga Nagar struggle has done

The Kalinga Nagar struggle has challenged the pro-imperialist, pro-comprador capitalist policies of the Central and State Govts. Several important issues have emerged from this struggle. The struggle has brought out the bitter experiences with displacement and rehabilitation of tribals in Orissa and in the rest of India. Displaced in the country, especially tribals, have reached some conclusions. Not only are ruling classes of the country not serious about rehabilitation of the displaced, actually they are incapable of it, The Adivasis of Kalinganagar were initially not against the setting up of industries in the area. But the years of experience of displacement has filled their lives with bitterness. They were doled out promises of ‘development’ but only unemployment, helplessness, and destitution fell to their share. The Bisthapan Virodhi Janmanch (Sukinda) was established towards 2004 end. It was the result of the new consciousness among the tribals of the area.

An extremely important aspect of the Kalinganagar struggle is that in effect it has challenged the industrial policy born out of the pro-imperialist new economic policies being implemented by the Central and State Govts. Enormous license is being given to multinational companies and comprador business houses for loot of cheap labour and natural resources. For their profits, the land and livelihood of lakhs of tribals and of poor are being snatched away. The mineral resources rich adivasi areas of Orissa are a special target for their rapacious eyes. Alongside, these areas have become important battlefields against these policies. The struggles in Kalinganagar and other areas of Orissa have countrywide importance and effect. These struggles are important parts of the struggles of people of India for new democratic revolution.

The Kalinga Nagar agitation has exposed the hoax of ‘development’ perpetrated by the ruling classes, which is in fact only for imperialist capital and a handful of compradors at the cost of the common people.

How Did Kalinga Nagar Struggle Develop

On 2nd January 2006, the Naveen Patnaik Govt of Orissa gave a new year ‘gift’ to the tribals and displaced of Orissa. Police fired on tribals opposing Tata Company's attempts to set up a boundary wall in Kalinganagar situated in Sukinda area of Jajpur District. 12 Adivasis were martyred and 35 others injured by police firing – one of the injured died three months later at AIIMS (New Delhi) taking the toll upto 13. One policeman was also the target of the Adivasis angered at the martyrdoms and police firing. The police tried to falsely paint the entire incident as a police response to the targeting of a policeman by the Adivasis. However the Collector was forced to admit that it was the police which fired on Adivasis protesting against land encroachment.

The firing on 2nd Jan 2006 was no accident but was the well thought out plan of the BJD-BJP Govt. of Naveen Patnaik to teach a lesson to the displaced Adivasis. Due to the opposition of the displaced advasis, two months earlier also the Tata Co.’s programme to build a boundary wall had been foiled. After that incident, Naveen Patnaik, himself ordered the police and administration to remove every obstacle to the Tata Co.’s plan.

The presence of over 400 police personnel besides the SP and Dist Magistrate at the site on 2nd January ’06 itself demonstrates that the events were a well thought out conspiracy. On 9th May 2005, at the occasion of Bhumi – Pujan on the Adivasis’ land in Kalinga Nagar by Maharashtra Seamless the police had so brutally lathi-charged the displaced Adivasis that they fled to the surrounding forests and mountains to hide. 25 women, children and one old man were arrested by the police while two children and two old men died of exposure and injuries while hiding in the mountains.

In the events of 2nd January ‘06, a major example of police barbarity was also the fact that of the bodies handed over to the people by the police, the hands of six were cut off, some upto the wrists and some including part of the forearms. It is also a fact that one of the killed had only one bullet injury and that on the leg. This lends credence to many reports that some of the injured became victims of later police brutality. Similarly the people say that the six dead were alive when police took them away from the area of protest.

Kalinganagar Tribals answer the Repression

The police barbarity on 2nd January severely angered the common people of Orissa. People picked up the six mutilated bodies and marched to the police station. Seeing the police arrangement at the police station, the tribals blocked the National Highway leading to Paradip port by placing the bodies on it. Thousands of people collected from surrounding villages. The roadblock thus set up on 2nd Jan 2006 persists till today, and this has become an important aspect of the Kalinganagar struggle. The displaced Adivasis have courageously showed an example of people's struggle against police repression. An important point is that the struggling people did not get at all panicky by the police repression, and their morale has not dropped. Rather their desire to strengthen their struggle has only been intensified by it.

  The significance of the Kalinga Nagar struggle is not in the police repression but in the militant resistance by the people with determination. Seeing through the schemes of the ruling classes and the state repression, the people are advancing their struggle.

Orissa protests against Firings

From 2nd Jan evening itself, the state was engulfed in outpourings against the police firing. The state capital Bhubaneshwar, Cuttak and other cities witnessed protests. Along with tribals and displaced, students, youth and well known intellectuals came forward against this barbaric act of the state administration. At that time rumblings began even within the BJP and there was talk of withdrawing support to the Naveen Patnaik Govt though its aim was to save the BJP from becoming a target of people's anger.

On 7th Jan. Cong. and other opposition parties called for a statewide bandh. The bandh’s success was unprecedented and clearly bespoke that people of the state oppose the anti-people industrialization policy of the Naveen Patnaik Govt. CPI (ML) New Democracy also organized big demonstrations in Parlekmundi, Saroda and other places. However the Cong. and ruling class opposition parties tried to limit the issue to a protest against police repression.

On 8th Jan, an investigating tram of AIKMS Central Executive went to the area. Apart from meeting various sections of the people they addressed a massive mass meeting. Meeting the Governor on 9th Jan, they demanded that there should be no displacement in the name of industrialization, the displaced in Kalinganagar should be given 5 acres cultivable land, cases of genocide be registered against Home Secretary and other senior officials, and compensation of Rs. 20 lakh be awarded to next of kins of martyrs.

In order to raise the basic issue of the Adivasis and to support the issues raised by the Kalinga Nagar struggle, the Lok Sangram Manch held a South Orissa bandh on 11th Jan. This highly successful bandh was supported by the CPI (ML) New Democracy.

Under the impact of the Kalinga Nagar agitation, movements of displaced people began in other parts of Orissa. People displaced from land acquired for the Rourkela steel plant are also desperate for rehabilitation. Their organization blocked all the roads leading to the plant demanding that they be either returned their land or they be given employment. Their demands were immediately attended to, to keep the fires of Kalinga Nagar from spreading. Displaced from Mahanadi coalfields disrupted work in the coalfields and demanded return of their lands. Struggles of the displaced advanced in Koraput and Sundergarh.

On 20th January, the Jan Sangharsh Samnvaya Kendra organized a rally and mass meeting at Bhuvaneswar to focus on the issue of displacement in the name of development, along with other issues raised by Kalinganagar struggle. Over 8000 people participated in the programme, where the mass meeting was addressed by speakers from CPI (ML) New Democracy, CPI (ML) Kanu Sanyal, Daman Virodhi Manch, Jan Pratirodh Manch, Anti Imperialist Front, Bisthapan Virodhi Jan Manch – Sukinda, Prakritik Sampada Suraksha Samiti of Kashipur, Samajwadi Jan Parishad and other organizations.

On 21st January ’06 a big oath taking ceremony was organized at ‘Veer Bhoomi’ – the point off the National Highway to Paradip where the bodies of the martyrs were cremated and at which point the blockade of National Highway continues till today.

On 20th and 21st January the revolutionary organizations working in Orissa and adivasi organizations came together in the programmes to raise the issues of tribals and displaced and to outline the way for struggles of tribals to forge ahead separate from ruling class parties. This disturbed not only the ruling BJD-BJP combine but also parties like Congress.

The Kalinga Nagar agitation today

Taking up several mass programmes like cycle marches, mass meetings to propagate their views and demands, the tribals organized as Bisthapan Virodhi Jan Manch Sukinda in Kalinga Nagar are firm on refusing displacement in the name of development. Continuing to maintain the road block of the NH to Paradeep port, they have put forward three demands for removal of the blockade – (1) Suspension of the SP and Collector of Jajpur (both of them have been transferred but only some doctors have been suspended for the events of 2nd Jan. – on Govt. charges of cutting off the hands of the bodies. (2) Return of the cut hands of the martyred tribals, as the Govt. claims they were cut and preserved for ‘identification’ (3) Withdrawal of criminal cases against the tribals. Regarding their struggle, they have placed a seven-point charter before the Govt. of which one point is a withdrawal of anti-people industrialization policy.

The Govt. of Naveen Patnaik has been continually prevaricating and initially announced that no talks would be held if the roadblock was not lifted. This was not accepted by the Bisthapan Virodhi Jan Manch Sukinda. Being utterly sure that any attempt to forcibly remove the obstruction would be met by determined and fearless resistance which would only leave the option of a blood bath by the state, eventually Naveen Patnaik Govt. agreed for unconditional talks in May 2006. 25 representatives of the Bisthapan Virodhi Manch Sukinda participated in the talks, which were led by Naveen Patnaik himself. Since their demands for suspension of officials and withdrawal of cases were not agreed to, the roadblock has not been called off. The Govt. agreed to returning the cut hands but in a cruel joke offered some rotting pieces of flesh in place of ‘cut hands preserved for identification', which was turned down by the representatives and which has only fanned the anger of the local people.

Meanwhile Orissa, where the state Govt. is on a binge of handing over land and resources for mining industries to MNCs and corporates, is aflush with anger. Those villages threatened to be displaced by the POSCO Steel Giant have organized against any attempt by the company to actually occupy land. Displaced of Hirakud dam and of industries and mines dotting the state are beginning to make themselves heard and felt.

All progressive, democratic and revolutionary forces must extend support to the Kalinga Nagar agitation and must build similar agitations in Orissa and in other parts of India against anti-people displacement policies in the name of development.