The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : ‘Solve land dispute to restore peace’

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‘Solve land dispute to restore peace’

Staff Reporter

Delegation visits Kandhamal, holds discussions with tribal leaders

Panel decides to start peace marches with immediate effect
Constitution of separate panel to check land disputes demanded

BHUBANESWAR: Expressing concern over unabated violence in Kandhamal district, Gandhian leaders and civil society representatives on Thursday said the violence was an outcome of longstanding land disputes between two communities and reconciliation efforts would prove futile if fundamental issues were not addressed.

Addressing a press conference here, former Information Commission of the State Professor Radhamohan said killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati might have been the “immediate” provocation but problem lied somewhere else.

“The conflict was not a religious one. Tribals do not know any religion. They were aggrieved as their lands were grabbed by some ingenious people. Similarly, there was a growing feeling among them that non-tribal people were misusing their caste certificates and snatching opportunities from them,” he said.

Prof. Radhamohan was part of a delegation which was led by Professor Ramjee Singh, former Member of Parliament and Vice-Chancellor of Jain Viswa Bharati.

It visited the strife-torn district. The team comprising of intellectuals belonging to all religions held intensive discussions with tribal leaders.

Other members of the team included Surendra Kumar, Secretary of All India Gandhi Peace Foundation, Dhananda Mishra of Prathama Odisha, Fr. Amalraj, Chancellor of Varanasi Diosis, Fr. Chandra Kant of Varanasi and Bijoy Kumar, convenor of Shanti Sena.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Singh, a Gandhian leader, said a separate commission should either be constituted to look into problems of caste certificate and land disputes or the terms of reference of present commission probing into Kandhamal riots should be broadened by inclusion of above two issues.

Law and order

The State government had so far deemed the issue as a law and order problem and kept on sending forces into the district but there were clearly lack of efforts to facilitate inter-faith dialogue, formation of reconciliatory groups and peace marches, Prof. Radhamohan said.

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