Tribals allege intimidation, threat by police; submit memo to Koraput SP

Tribal leader and president of the Muliya Adivasi Sangh, Nachika Linga, along with representatives from two villages, reached the office of the Superintendent of Police (SP), Koraput, on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum alleging harassment of tribal farmers in Narayanpatna and Bandhugaon areas.

According to the memorandum, police officials have been intimidating innocent tribal residents by repeatedly summoning them to the police station and threatening them not to cultivate their own farmlands. The document also alleges that there is a conspiracy to forcibly occupy the land belonging to poor tribal families, creating a sense of fear and insecurity among them.

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Linga stated that the rights of tribal farmers are being violated and demanded that any dispute regarding land ownership or cultivation should be resolved legally through civil court proceedings, not through police intervention. He urged the district administration and police authorities to conduct a fair investigation and take necessary action in accordance with the law.

The memorandum had earlier been submitted to the local Tehsildar, who forwarded copies to the President of India, the Chief Minister of Odisha, and the Governor. Despite these repeated appeals, no official response has been received from the police so far, leaving the affected villagers anxious about their safety and land rights.

“If they arrest us in fake cases and wipe out young men from our villages, then how will our people survive? So, we have come to meet the SP and narrate our ordeal to him. Earlier also, we had narrated our ordeal to the Tehsildar and District Collector, Odisha CM, Governor and even President Droupadi Murmu,” claimed the tribal leader.

No comments were received from the concerned authorities.