PRESS RELEASE- Mr Naveen Patnaik apologize to the Women of Govindpur, Patana and Dhinkia #Posco #Vaw

Mr. Naveen Patnaik we are surprised that you are not ashamed even after women’s day.

We are deeply anguished and disturbed by the recent turn of frightening and ugly incidents perpetrated by the Odisha government, POSCO management and their hired lumpen criminal elements on the POSCO payroll. They have unleashed extremely barbaric white terror in the anti-POSCO struggling villages of Jaghat Singh Pur, Odisha. On the eve of the women’s day we learnt that the women gave the most desperate threat to the district administration as a last ditch effort. “If the police forces are not withdrawn they will protest naked in front of the police”. This news sent a chill down our spines as this was a confirmation of your wanton behaviour in the area and continuing attempts at escalating completely unjustified violence against agitators.

You have proved that you are the biggest enemy of the women of Odisha. Instead of removing the police you charged women with indecent exposure and arrested them.

That shows the apocalyptic vision that women are the most worthless beings, have absolutely no hope in a state governed by you. And remember, all this was happening when your minions of women and child development department and the public relations department were flooding the newspapers and television with your great achievements on the gender front. Whereas in reality you have inflicted on the suffering women of Odisha extreme repression by security forces who rape them in custody, brutally repress them, forcibly evict them from land, habitat, livelihood, culture and undermine their dignity. The combing operations by your police and paramilitary forces have inflicted most bestial violence that has crossed all the limits of barbarism.

Last time one had seen such a protest taking place was in Manipur in July 2004. The situation, however, was a little different in that case. Assam Rifles had raped and murdered Manorama. Elderly women of Manipur aghast at that had decided for going that protest in sheer desperation. They were a people who had completely lost their faith in the nation that claimed to be their own but acted as an occupying force. Its security forces assaulted the men and raped the women at will and the state legitimised such dreadful practices by allowing the Assam Rifles deployed in Manipur to provide condoms as an integral part of the travel kit,to be used while on patrol duty. Having had enough of this, Manipuri women went to the headquarters of the Assam Rifles, disrobed and flung a banner reading “INDIAN ARMY RAPE US”.

Odisha is thousands of kilometers away from Manipur. The POSCO Pratirodh Sangram Samiti (PPSS) simply announced “Left with no other option, women from the village have decided to get naked before the Policemen tomorrow”. The pain and agony it would take to first decide for holding such a protest and then announcing it to the public was totally lost on you.

The women reached this decision because you as the Chief Minister have abandoned them for POSCO, the multinational company and as its lackey have been violating all rights of the residents with impunity. Anti-POSCO people have reached the decision after getting many of their near and dear ones killed by the hired goons of the company. They have reached the decision for the state government repeatedly sending in an armed-to-teeth police force for cracking down on the peaceful protesters and forcibly acquiring the lands even when the environmental clearance that is mandatory for such projects stand cancelled by the statutory authorities and the MoU with POSCO is defunct. You have destroyed their betel leave vines. You threaten to arrest them if they step out of the village and for years they have lived without even the minimal health services.

Mr. Patnaik, your slavery and loyalty to the national and international corporations has made you so de-humanized and de-sensitized that you are busy serving their interest and are apathetic to the very people who have brought you into this office.

Your administration lies through its teeth and accuses anti-POSCO struggle of making bombs. Your police tries to run over their leader. Such is the rottenness of your rule that even fact finding teams are hounded by company goons who are getting more confident as they are literally getting away with murder.

Finally, if you have any shame left, Mr. Patnaik, resign and apologise to the women of Dhinkia, Govindpur and Patana.

We speak on behalf of several women’s groups and well known activists who endorse our view. The complete list is attached to this letter.

Kaveri, Kamayani, Kalpana

For Women against sexual violence and state repression

More than 100 people signed the letter sent to the CM endorsements Below

1
2	Asit Das- Posco pratirodh solidarity Delhi
3	Kalpana Mehta, Madhya Pradesh Mahila Manch, Indore
4	Kaveri Indira, Scientist, Bangalore
5	Kamayani Bali Mahabal, Human Rights Activist , Mumbai
6	Mamata Dash ,Posco pratirodh solidarity Delhi
7	Chittraranjan singh National Secretary PUCL
8	Ashok choudhury NFFPFW
9	Dr.Sunilam Kissan Sangharsh Samiti
10	Kiran Shaheen Women against sexual violence and state expression(WSS)
11	Anand swarup verma Editor samkaleen tisri duniya
12	Prashant Pairikay, Posco pratirodh sangharsh samiti
13	K.K. Niyogi All India platform for labour rights
14	Manj mohan Hind mazdoor sabha
15	Roma NFFPFW
16	Anil chaudhury INSAF
17	Insha malik Research sholar JNU
18	Bhupen singh Research sholar JNU
19	Vijay pratap Socialist front
20	Madhuresh NAPM
21	Rajendra Ravi NAPM
22	Anna khandre Samajwadi party
23	Putul Yuva bharat
24	P.K. sundaram IndiaResists.com
25	Prakash kumar ray Editorbargad.org
26	Nayanjyoti Krantikari naujawan sabha
27	Vinod singh Samajwadi jan parishad
28	Rakhi Saiigal Labour activist
29	Gopal Krishna Toxic Watch
30	Shankar Gopalakrishnan
31	Saheli, Delhi
32	Devika Biswas, State convenor
33	Healthwatch Forum , Bihar, C/O BVHA PATNA BIHAR
34	Ruchi Shroff , Mumbai
35	Madhumita Dutta
36	‘Suresh Bhat B, Concerned Citizen, Mangalore
37	Sudha Bharadwaj, Chhattisgarh PUCL.
38	Rakmakant Banjare, Chattisgarh Mukti Morcha (Mazdoor Karyakarta Committee)
39	Nisha Biswas , Kolkata
40	Swatija, Mumbai
41	‘Prabhakar Pandit from Mumbai Mobile Creches_
42	Rahul Yogi Deveshwar
43	Independent Voice , Shanti se Kranti
44	Nirja Bhatnagar, Mumbai
45	Himadri Sekhar Mistri, Research Scholar, Delhi School of Economics
46	Women’s Research and Action Group
47	Tanushree Gangopadhyay, Ahmedabad
48	Anjali sinha Madhubala from Stree mukti sangathan
49	Madhubala, from Stree mukti sangathan
50	Sankara Narayanan_
51	Sharanya Humane, Koraput
52	Rakesh Narayana, PUCL – Bangalore
53	Kaushiki Rao, Bangalore
54	K. Sajaya, Hyderabad
55	Uma V Chandru, WSS Activist, Bangalore
56	Aruna Chandrasekhar, Research and journalist
57	Shraddha Chickerur
58	Vivek Sundara, Socila Activist, Mumbai
59	Pushpa (Member, WSS-Karnataka)
60	Abha Bhaiya
61	Anuradha Pati
62	Kannamma Raman, University of Mumbai
63	Jeevika Shiv, Centre for Equity Studies, Delhi
64	Kabi S., Bombay
65	Devaki Jain
66	Rina Mukherji
67	Soma KP
68	Aanchal Kapur
69	Trupti Shah, Sahiyar (Stree Sangathan)
70	K. Sajaya, Hyderabad
71	Iqbal Baig
72	Sudha.S. Bangalore
73	Sadhna, Delhi
74	Ratna, Law Student, Bangalore
75	Evangeline Anderson-Rajkumar, Bangalore
76	M. R. Prabhakar, Bangalore
77	Nisha Biswas, Kolkata
78	Gowru Chinnapa, Bangalore
79	Ayush Ranka, Bangalore
80	Rakesh Narayana, PUCL – Bangalore
81	Sharanya, Humane, Koraput
82	Shakun.M, Bangalore
83	Soundarya Iyer, Research Scholar, NIAS, Bangalore
84	Sudha Bharadwaj, Chhattisgarh PUCL.
85	Rakmakant Banjare, Chattisgarh Mukti Morcha (Mazdoor Karyakarta Committee)
86	Vasanth Kannabiran
87	Shyama K Narang
88	Anupriya, Delhi
89	Chhaya Datar
90	K. Lalita
91	Neha Dhingra
92	Rina, Kolkata
93	Sutapa Majumdar
94	Lalita Ramdas, Bhaimala, Alibag
95	Admiral L. Ramdas, Bhaimala, Alibag
96	Vinay Bhat, Management Consultant, Santa Clara, CA
97	Gopika Solanki
98	Uma Chakravarti
99	Mary E John
100	Suneeta Dhar
101	Arundhati Dhuru
102	Dr Veena R Poonacha, Director, Research Center for Women’s Studies & Project Director, Dr. Avabai Wadia Archives, SNDT Women’s University
103	Sharmila Rege
104	Veena Shatrugna
105	Gabriele Dietrich
106	Devangana Kalita
107	Tungshang Ningreichon, Naga Peoples Movement for Human Rights
108	Meera, Narmada Valley
109	Prem Verma, Jharkhand Alternative Development Forum, Ranchi, Jharkhand
110	Lakshmi Premkumar, Programme for Social Action (PSA), New Delhi
111	Priyanka Borpujari, independent journalist
112	Koyel Lahiri, MPhil student, CSSSC
113	K Babu Rao, NAPM, Hyderabad
114	Lokesh, Stree Mukti Sangathan
115	Gee Ameena Suleiman
116	Maitreyi, ALF, Bangalore
117	Prafulla Samantara, Convenor, NAPM
118	Kunal Rawat, New Delhi
119	Prasad Chacko, Social activist, Ahmedabad
120	Alaka Basu
121	Anita Ghai, Feminist and Disblity rights activist, Delhi
122	Parth J Dave, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai
123	Pradeep Esteves, Context India, Bangalore
124	Nitesh Mohanty, The Root	Mumbai
125	Jayati Lal, Visiting fellow, CSSS, JNU