Yet another story of repression of people by a state-corporate nexus unfolds as another Tata venture has got grounded with fierce opposition from local mass movements and state repression. The situation in Bastar, the site of a proposed TATA Steel plant, has reached a critical stage, with clashes having taken place on 27 and 28 February as the local administration has been accused of intimidating the villagers into consenting to acquisition of land for the steel plant. The steel plant is planned on an area of more than 2,000 hectares of tribal land, spread over 10 villages in Lohandiguda block, near the Chitrakot waterfall on Indravati river.
The agreement for the plant was signed between the Chhattisgarh Govt & Tata in June2005 - precisely the month when Salwa Judum, labelled a "people's movement against the Naxalites"but actually a police sponsored terror militia forcing the evacuation of one tribal village after another with refugees pressurized to join it, was formed.
On 27 February, the police arrested a number of tribal leaders who have been opposing the project and they were pelted with stones. The next day, a leading non-tribal activist who had come to support the people was hounded out of Bastar. He was slapped in front of the hotel manager where he had stayed in Jagdalpur. The hotel manager was warned that the hotel would be burnt if he put him up again, and all hotel owners in he town were told not to accept any guests who may be opposing Tata.
Subsequently on March 1st, the Collector of Dantewara District called a meeting of all the political parties (except CPI who are siding with the tribals), journalists, and business leaders and reiterated the message that opposition to the Tata project will not be tolerated.
The agreement for the plant was signed between the Chhattisgarh Govt & Tata in June2005 - precisely the month when Salwa Judum, labelled a "people's movement against the Naxalites"but actually a police sponsored terror militia forcing the evacuation of one tribal village after another with refugees pressurized to join it, was formed.
On 27 February, the police arrested a number of tribal leaders who have been opposing the project and they were pelted with stones. The next day, a leading non-tribal activist who had come to support the people was hounded out of Bastar. He was slapped in front of the hotel manager where he had stayed in Jagdalpur. The hotel manager was warned that the hotel would be burnt if he put him up again, and all hotel owners in he town were told not to accept any guests who may be opposing Tata.
Subsequently on March 1st, the Collector of Dantewara District called a meeting of all the political parties (except CPI who are siding with the tribals), journalists, and business leaders and reiterated the message that opposition to the Tata project will not be tolerated.
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