Mon, Oct 20 03:12 AM

The Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram, a Sangh Parivar body working for tribals in Orissa, on Sunday alleged that the CRPF policemen deployed in Kandhamal district were misbehaving and assaulting tribal women and stealing their household goods in the name of arresting rioters.

Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram state general secretary Dr Laxmikant Dash said since most of the tribal men had fled their homes fearing midnight arrests by police and CRPF, the paramilitary jawans were forcing their way into tribal households. "They are being molested and even attempts have been made to rape. There are cases where women were beaten up by male cops," he alleged.

"CRPF is damaging household goods, taking away hens, goats and vegetables from tribal people's houses. There are instances where gold ornaments and cash are also being taken away by CRPF. Their safety and security is really in jeopardy," Dash alleged, adding women were now fleeing to jungle in the night.

He said the longstanding curfew in many places of Kandhamal district in the aftermath of Laxmanananda Saraswati's killing had affected the daily lives of tribals. They were in near starving situation even now. Being daily wage earners, the people in the region were without work and income, and they were not able to take care of their family members. The tribal women on several occasions had protested before local BDOs to provide them work and food. But the officials had not taken any step to ensure them work and income so that these tribal people could sustain their life on their own, Dash added.

However, the members of Christian community who were staying in Government-run relief camps were busy in writing FIRs accusing tribals of their involvement in riots. "Using local voters' list, the Christians are naming all the villagers in the FIRs and putting pressure on the police to arrest all those named. Names of the people who have died for long also figure in the FIRs," he alleged.