Tribals of Kalinganagar have played a pioneering role in the Indian peasants’ struggle against forcible displacement. Their struggle changed the direction of seeking relief and rehabilitation to opposing the displacement. On January 2, 2006 14 of the struggling tribals were gunned down by the Odisha police for forcible occupation of land for Tatas.

On the 7th anniversary of Kalinganagar firing, the Bistapan Birodhi Jana Manch vowed to continue their struggle against forcible land acquisition. Like past years this year also the BBJM organized a rally of more than 3000 people carrying red flags and traditional weapons like bows and arrows and chanting slogans against forcible land acquisition in the name of industries and mines like “Balapurbak silpayana bandh kara”, “Bikas nare Binash Chaliba Nahin”, Kalinganagar Amar Saheed tumaku janau Lal Salam” etc. The rally started in the morning from Champakoila, the place where the police fired upon tribals killing 14 of them on 2nd Jan 2006 and it ended at Birbhumi covering a distance of nearly five kms. After the rally reached at Birbhumi, the site where the stone pillars in memory of tribal matyars are standing, the red flag was hoisted and floral tribute was given to those martyrs’ pillars by the leaders of BBJM and other supporting organizations present there. Revolutionary songs in the memory of the martyrs and urging people to carry forward the struggle were sung by BBJM activists.

In the afternoon the public meeting was started under the chairmanship of Com. Amarnath Banra, the president of BBJM. The family members of the martyrs were called to the stage one after another and were honoured with clothes by the guests. Com.Rabindra Jarika, secretary of BBJM in his introductory speech described the plight of the people displaced by different industries in Kalinganagar area. He said those who are at one time left their homes by the allurement of Tatas are in a distress condition now. Many displaced people who were betrayed by Tata have joined in our today’s programme. He urged the tribal people of Kalinganagar to unite and resist the land acquisition by different companies. Leaders of BBJM Com Dabar Kalundia, Com.Nati Angrai, two elected sarpanches Com Swarnalata Banra and Rajendra Kalundia also spoke at the meeting.

Com. Bhalachandra, state spokesperson of CPI(ML)-New Democracy also hailed the heroic struggle of Kalinganagar and the role played by it in the ongoing anti-displacement struggles in the country. He saluted the brave people of Kalingnagar for continuing this movement inspite of facing so many killings, arrests and other brutal repression by the state Govt led by Naveen Pattanaik and Tatas. He urged the leaders and cadres of BBJM to be the rallying point of all the tribal, dalits, workers and other poor people of Kalingnagar in their struggle against injustice and repression. CPI(ML)-Liberation state leader Mahendra Parida and social activist Praffula Samantara also spoke at the occasion.