Nuapada: Scores of tribals living along the border with Chhattisgarh Tuesday gheraoed the district collectorate and the office of the superintendent of police here alleging they were tortured by police personnel from Chhattisgarh.
The police of the neighbouring state are harassing them on the pretext of searching for Maoists, the tribals said, and sought the help of local police and the administration.
According to reports, residents of Sirigidi, Farfaud, Kendubahara villages under Kendubahara panchayat, 30 km from the district headquarters, belong to tribal community. Ultras often take shelter in Chhattisgarh-Orissa border regions in the district after wreaking havoc in Chhattisgarh.
While the tribals have been reeling under constant threat from the guerrillas, Chhattisgarh police regularly harass them by taking them into custody.
For instance, Komakhan police of Chhattisgarh picked up three youths of the area
September 10 on charge of their involvement in Maoists activities. Later, they were produced in court. Since then, Chhattisgarh police have been making rounds of the villages and harassing them. People have started remaining indoors without going to work.
The tribals, seeking the attention of district police, assembled at Nuapada Thana Chhak Tuesday and launched a rally. The rally culminated at the SP’s office. They also blocked the National Highway for some time to register their protest. The aggrieved tribals gheraoed the collectorate over the issue and submitted a memorandum to the sub-collector in the absence of the collector.
When contacted, sub-collector Sri Chand said the administration would probe the matter in the next few days.
On the other hand, the tribals warned they would leave the villages en masse unless the issue is resolved soon. PNN
