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Sunday, Jul 15, 2007
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Firing: panel faults State

Staff Reporter

‘Bring prawn mafias to book’

5 fishermen killed in firing at Soran
Livelihood issues neglected, says panel

BHUBANESWAR: The Justice P.K. Tripathy Commission that probed police firing at Soran in Khurda district in 1999 has said the incident was the outcome of decades of negligence on the part of the Orissa Government to address critical livelihood issues of traditional fishermen residing in and around the Chilika lake.

The one-man Commission recommended that the incident of police firing it probed should be investigated by Central Bureau of Investigation to bring the ‘influential’ prawn mafias to the book.

During the inquiry, several influential politicians, bureaucrats and mafias were named by witnesses but none appeared or filed any affidavit, the Commission observed.

Pointing out that the possibility of involvement of noted persons could not be ruled out, Justice Tripathy said, "I have suggested about the CBI because, as expected, it should remain free from the influence of the local politicians and bureaucrats in any sphere."

The judicial inquiry commission into police firing in which five fishermen were killed was constituted in July 1999.

The 164-page report of the commission was presented in the State Assembly late on Friday evening.

It reprimanded the State Government for not taking action against prawn mafias who were involved in encroaching upon fishery areas.

"The Government attitude in the context of the encroachment in Chilika appears like the Government turning back to the sun and terming the sun is a shadow," the report said.

Justice Tripathy elaborated, "it is surprising to note that such a vast resource is being misutilised in the above manner for decades and the State Government has remained complacent by only convening meetings and setting up different committees and in stray instances of undertaking eviction operation through the district administration and taking no other follow-up concrete step to prevent such encroachment."

The conflict

Spread over an area of 1100 sq km, Chilika lake, the largest brackish water lagoon of Asia, is known for its fish resources (225 species of fish). About 30 per cent of the fishing village population is active fishermen, although many others depend indirectly on the fisheries.

However, the conflict has intensified over the years ever since the prawn mafias staked claim over fishing areas in the mid-1980s.

The commission also expressed displeasure over ‘non-cooperation’ on the part of the State Government, which resulted in delay.

However, the commission was of the view that the police were forced to fire upon the gathering fishermen as the mob was turning violent.

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