AFDR held procession against Sarkeguda killings

On a call given by Bathinda District unit of the Association For Democratic Rights, Punjab, activists including teachers, university professors, writers, advocates intellectuals and leaders of trade unions and mass organizations, held a protest march and rally against the killings of innocent tribals at Sarkeguda in Bijapur District of Chhatisgarh by the CRPF & Chhattisgarh Police in a mid-night operation, branding them as Maoists.

The participants gathered at the local Teachers Home, where Sh. Bagga Singh, State President AFDR Punjab gave the blood chilling details of the heinous acts committed by the CRPF at Sarkeguda on the night of 28th June, 2012. Quoting extensively from the C.D.R.O. report, he said that it was a planned massacre, to terrorize the tribal to secure their lands for the big mining corporations. He called upon all the intellectuals and champions of democratic rights to raise their voice against such brutal killings. Sh. Pritpal Singh, who visited Sarkeguda and surrounding areas as a member of the CDRO Fact Finding Team, narrated his personal experience and described the harrowing circumstances in which the tribal in those areas live.

Thereafter the demonstrators marched through the main bazaars of the city, raising slogans against neo-liberal economic policies, atrocities on the tribal, fake police encounters, mortgaging India’s national wealth to imperialist MNCs , the Chattisgarh Govt. and Central Govt’s Home Minister P. Chidambaram etc. They demanded halt to Operation Green Hunt and registration of criminal case against all those responsible for Sarkeguda massacre. After marching through the bazaars of Bathinda, the protestors reached the District Administrative Complex, to present memorandum addressed to the Prime Minister of India.

Here a rally was held, which was addressed by Sh. Baru Satwarag – a leftist writer, Sh. Jagmohan Kaushal – a veteran trade unionist & social worker, and N.K.Jeet Advocate – a human rights activist. Tehsildar-cum Executive Magistrate Bathinda came to receive the memorandum on behalf of the District Administration.