People's Democracy

CITU Condemns Killing Of Peasants In Rewa, Madhya Pradesh

THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) strongly condemned the firing by police and hired goondas engaged by owners of JP Cement Factory in Riwa, Madhya Pradesh killing 6 people and injuring dozens of the peaceful demonstrators among whom included local kisans.

In a statement issued on September 22, 2007, CITU president M K Pandhe demanded that a CBI inquiry should be instituted and the guilty must be punished. He stated that the local administration had prior knowledge about the demonstration by the villagers who have lost land for this cement factory. He charged that the owners of the factory have close relations with the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh and conspired with the administration to attack the villagers for participating in protest movement.

The local youths and villagers have been agitating for months against the illegal forcible occupation of their land for the factory. The police not only participated in the killing, they refused to take the injured to the hospital that could have saved some lives, stated Pandhe.