Killing of Adivasis in Adyadka near Menasinahadya
Killing of Adivasis in Adyadka near Menasinahadya on 10 July 2007
In order to investigate the police “encounter” in Adyadka near Menasinahadya on 10.7.07 in which a number of adivasis were killed, a fact-finding team visited the place on 14.7.07. The team consisted of a number of organizations, including PUCL-K, PDF, APCLC, SICHREM, HRLN, as well as a number of individuals, including lawyers and representatives of the media. The site of the encounter bore numerous bullet marks of the indiscriminate shooting both outside and inside the house. Other evidence suggested that the adivasis who were killed were probably unarmed, and hence it was a fake encounter. Therefore, a judicial inquiry into the alleged police encounter at Adyadka is urgently called for.
In this connection, the fact-finding team makes the following demands:
1. The fact-finding team severely condemns the killings of adivasis in the police encounter on 10.7.07. After this episode, it is reported that Naxalites have vowed to take revenge. This cycle of violence and counter violence has completely marginalized the problems of the adivasis. As human rights activists we are deeply concerned about their plight as well as about the escalation of violence caused by both the state and the Naxals. We therefore demand that the government stop its encounter policy and come out with a categorical gazette notification that the adivasis will not be displaced from the Kudremukh National Park.
2. We firmly believe that the root cause of the adivasi problem in this region is the notification of the Kudremukh area as National Park. The government should withdraw this notification immediately.
3. There should be a judicial inquiry into the encounter killings in Karnataka since 2003.
4. Criminal cases should be registered against the police personnel involved in the encounter killings as per the guidelines of the NHRC.
5. Families of adivasis killed in the encounter at Adyadka should be provided with adequate compensation. Further the government should undertake the responsibility to fund the education of Kaveri and Rame Gowda’s son.
6. The government should immediately withdraw false cases against organizations and individuals who are involved in democratic struggles for adivasi rights and stop using repressive measures to silence them. The cases against Mr. K. Vithal Hegde, Mr.Mariappa should be withdrawn.
7. The government should take the initiative to hold discussions with the leaders of “Kudremukha Rashtriya Udyana Virodhi Okkuta” and “Adivasi Hitharakshana Samiti” regarding solving the problems of the tribals in the Malnad region.
8. The demands of the adivasis resisting displacement have been sidelined on the pretext of curbing or fighting Naxalism. In fact, the problem of displacement is not anymore confined to the adivasis inside the National Park. Thousands of families belonging the farmer and dalit communities are now under the threat of eviction by IT parks, BT corridors and SEZs. The state and central governments have already sanctioned 12500 acres of land at Nandgudi near Bangalore. Instead of allowing the problems caused by these displacements to precipitate, the state should respond to the genuine needs of the people.