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Two weeks ago, the police in Orissa one of India’s Eastern Provinces opened fire up on a crowd of villagers who were protesting against the State government. The villagers were unhappy about the compensation they received from the government for their land.. Their grievance was that the price they received for their land was much less than the speculators received for their acquired land in the area. Whether they were right or wrong in making a demand or asking for redress is another matter. But the firing by the police on a civilian crowd is stupid and in a democracy it is intolerable. If driving the crowd away was the purpose, then there were other methods the police could have used. It could have tear- gassed or pepper sprayed the melee. It could have used rubber bullets or water cannons. It could have fired blanks. The use of live ammunition on a crowd of civilians represents a mentality that is as much uncivilized as idiotic. During the ‘Raj’ the police had a vested interest in teaching a lesson to those who did not toe the government line. It is a national shame that so many years after the independence, the police still continue to hold on to the same mentality; the officers still feel as if they are a ruling class. It is both offensive and outrageous that such a mentality exists today.

The villagers belonged to the tribal community. The tribal people all over India have been enduring oppressions of all kinds for ages. In the tribal areas of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, the police are invariably seen as an oppressive force. In the name of establishing law and order the police exploit the locals. The tribal folks are basically simple people. Sometimes they do not grasp the intricacies of Laws and Regulations made for them by others. Yet, they are compelled to follow them. For example, tribal folks live in or near the protected forests. They depend on cutting wood and collecting fruits and berries from the jungle to make a living. They grow crops by clearing wooded areas. The government auctions off the forest and its products. When the tribal people enter the restricted area, because without doing so they can not survive, they are accused of trespassing. For a long time the tribal folks have been getting a raw deal in India’s social arrangement. Out of ignorance and out of a complex of superiority, the officers and the police have repeatedly shown that they do not care for the welfare of the tribal folks.

The Kalinganagar area where the firing took place and 12 people were killed is an area rich in iron and manganese ore. For ages it was a sleepy, forest area. The locals depended on the forest and carved out a living from whatever it produced and lived a very simple life. When their area was the part of a princely state they owned the land collectively. The headman of the village was responsible to collect and pay taxes to the ruler. All that changed after the merger of their tiny princely state into the state of Orissa. Individual families were allotted land as a result of the new land survey.

In recent years the Duburi area -where Kalinganagar is located- has become a hub for the manufacturing of steel. Neelachal Ispat Neegam and Mideast Integrated Steel have opened shops there. The Orissa Government has recently finalized an arrangement with POSCO of South Korea to establish a steel mill investing $12 billion. India’s steel-giant the Tata Iron and Steel Company also is coming there. The Navin Patnaik government wants to bring new industries to Orissa. In the Duburi area it wants tribal folks to move out so that industrial houses can open shops in Kalinganagar. It has bought out their properties. Now the tribal folks complain that the properties owned by other folks got a better price than they got from the government. Thy are worried about what kind of benefit they would get. Would there be any job for them or their children in the new mills?

In a democracy, people have a right to question the motive of their government. They have a right to protest against and petition their representatives. In the United States projects get tied up in Courts for decades. If the tribal folks had a grievance right or wrong it was incumbent upon the government to address their grievance. Industrialization is fine only if it serves the people. In this particular case the Navin government has shown very poor judgment in Kalinganagar.

No doubt there will be an enquiry into the firing. Since the Civil Servants are a protected species in India, it is a foregone conclusion that none of the officers would be liable for giving the order for firing. The opposition Congress Party would make a hue and cry about the incident and Sonia Gandhi, the president of the Party has already visited the area. She follows L.K.Adhvani, the BJP leader who visited Orissa and attempted damage control.

Regardless what the political parties do to handle this situation, it is a sad commentary on India’s political process that an elected government opens fire on its taxpayers and that the Police, the Civil Servants have not yet given up their authoritarian mentality.

Anadi Naik, the writer has been associated with Saint Vinoba Bhave and his Bhoodana Andolana(Land Gift Mission). A disciple of Gandhi and his principles of nonviolence. He is now living in USA.

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