Kisan Sabha Condemns the Brutal Police Firing on Peaceful Protest by Workers and Peasantry in Sonbhadra

15th April, 2015

The AIKS condemns the brutal police firing and lathicharge on a peaceful protest by Dalit and Adivasi workers and peasants in Sonbhadra in Uttar Pradesh. The protestors were peacefully marching on Ambedkar Jayanti and observing “Save Constitution Day”. A Tribal leader Akku Kharwar from Sundari village has been hit by bullet in the chest. About eight protestors suffered serious injuries in the firing. Women who were in the forefront of the protest were gravely injured. They were protesting against forcible land acquisition and illegal construction of Kanhar Dam.

Thousands of villagers attended the protest in continuation of the struggle against land acquisition and large-scale displacement by the controversial Kanhar Dam. The Project does not have a valid Environment Clearance and Forest Clearance. Around 4131.5 hectares of land in 111 villages spread across the three States of Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh would be submerged under this Project. The Project which had been abandoned in 1989 was recently re-started with construction work beginning on 5th December, 2014 arbitrarily without any fresh cost-benefit analysis and social or environment impact assessments. It also violates the order of the National Green Tribunal dated 24thDecember 2014 which mandated Environment Clearance and Forest Clearance for any construction to be done by the Irrigation Department of UP.

Kisan Sabha expresses solidarity with the struggling comrades in Sonbhadra and demands immediate action against the erring police officials.

Sd/-

Amra Ram, President

Hannan Mollah, General Secretary