Bhubaneswar: Odisha Congress will observe the 18th anniversary of the Kalinganagar firing incident as ‘Sradhanjali’ Diwas on January 2, 2024, a senior party leader said Tuesday.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattanayak appealed to all people of Odisha including tribals to join the protest by offering two minutes of silent prayers for the deceased tribals between 5 to 6 pm January 2.
Fourteen tribals were killed in police firing on January 2, 2006, when they were protesting displacement due to construction of a steel plant in Kalinganagar in Jajpur district. At that time BJD-BJP alliance government was in power in Odisha.
The Congress will observe Sradhanjali Diwas at all blocks, district headquarters and urban local bodies (ULBs) on January 2, the OPCC president said.
“Tribal leaders like Birsa Munda, Dharanidhar Naik, Laxman Naik, Chakra Bisoyi and Madho Singh have sacrificed their lives for this soil. But, the BJD-BJP government killed the tribals at Kalinganagar in 2006,” alleged the Congress leader.
PTI
