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07 May, 2010

Intimidatory tactics against Gladson Dungdung

Countercurrents.org

GLADSON DUNGDUNG, human rights activist, writer and Convenor of Jharkhand Indigenous People's Forum, writes:

This is to inform you that the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, has been monitoring my activities almost every day, which I got to know from an officer of the Ministry who visited my office at 11 AM on 29th of April 2010. He informed me that I was taken seriously by the Ministry in 2008 when I had started raising serious questions against the Arcelor Mittal Company, who has signed an MoU for 12 Mt Steel Plant with an investment of Rs. 400 billion. Mr. Arjun Munda, then the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, had shown it as the biggest achievement of his one-year tenure. We the Adivasi youth had protested under the banner of Jharkhand Indigenous People’s Forum against a tie-up between the DON BOSCO ITI and Arcelor Mittal Company. Consequently, they had to break the tie-up.

According to the officer, the Ministry’s monitoring was intensified against me when I had written a letter to Mr. P. Chidambaram the Home Minister of India on 19 March 2010 asking him to stop Operation Green Hunt. I had also given him 10-point suggestions for dealing with the issue of Naxalism. When this letter reached to the Ministry, there was anxiety in the office and it was immediately sent to its Ranchi unit which was asked to submit a report about me immediately. Since, there was no any evidence against me related to so-called anti-national activities no action was taken against me.

However, the officer has asked me to send him a copy of my writing whenever I write a piece in future. I should report to him about any programme I organize or participate in, especially related to the issues of land, forest, water, Adivasi and Operation Green Hunt. I should also report to him about all the major activities I do on daily basis. It is obvious that the Ministry of Home Affairs has been monitoring my activities under pressure from the corporate houses. Hence, the Ministry is promoting the acts of intimidation and seizing my right to freedom of thought and expression.

Therefore, I appeal to all the civil society organizations, people’s movements and individual to oppose the unconstitutional acts of the Ministry of Home Affairs for the protection of my rights, the democracy and the Indian constitution.

PS: My friends also informed me that there is an attempt to book me under the charge of Sedition or any other serious offence.

See Gladson Dungdung’s recent article: I am neither a Maoist nor a Gandhian but an Adivasi

Gladson Dungdung can be contacted at gladsonhractivist@gmail.com

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