Five-member BJP team visits Posco site

A high-level fact finding team of BJP today visited Kalinganagar in Jajpur district and the site of Posco’s steel project near Paradip-the two hot spots in coastal Orissa where crack down by police on anti-land acquisition activists had left one dead and scores of people injured last week.

The BJP team, which met the locals in both the places, came down heavily on the state government for use of force to evict people to facilitate land acquisition for industries.

“The team would prepare a report on both the incidents and draw the attention of the president, prime minister, human rights organizations and civil societies on the plight of local people and their struggle against forced land acquisition”, said Dharmendra Pradhan, general secretary, BJP and a member of the team.

The team expressed its anguish over the death of Laxman Jamuda, a 55 year old man of Chandia village in Kalinganagar during police crack down on villagers opposing land acquisition for Tata Steel’s 6 million tonne project and subsequent drama involving disappearance of his body, which is reported to have been cremated surreptitiously without being handed over to his relatives.

"As role of police in the killing and subsequent cremation of Laxman Jamuda of Chandia village is suspicious, it should be probed by the CBI," BJP state unit president Jual Oram who accompanied the five-member central team of the party, said.

At Posco site, the team visited Balitutha, the entry point of the project site, where about 30 anti-Posco villagers were hurt and several houses were gutted in police action on last Saturday. The team members demanded immediate medical aid to the injured and compensation to the people whose houses and property were set on fire by the police.

The BJP team comprised Balbir Punj, Nishikant Dubey, Rudra Narayan Pani (all MPs) and Dharmendra Pradhan, national general secretary and Bhupinder Yadav, national secretary.