Tribals call 12-hour shutdown in south Orissa

BHUBANESWAR - A tribal group has called for a 12-hour shutdown in south Orissa Saturday, officials said. The Chasi Mulia Adibasi Sangha (CMAS) is protesting against the killing of two tribal youths in police firing last week in Orissa’s Koraput district.

At least two men were killed last Friday when police opened fire at a mob that attacked a police station.

Several other organisations have also extended their support to the shutdown. The CMAS is demanding a high level probe into the killings, adequate compensation to the family members of the deceased and withdrawal of extra police forces from the district.

More than 300 people allegedly attacked the police station at Narayanpatna, about 500 km from here, to protest frequent police patrolling in their area, considered a hotbed of Maoist activities.

Police have been claiming that CMAS is a Maoist-backed outfit, which has forcibly occupied hundreds of acres of farmland belonging to non-tribals in the district.

While the outfit has denied links with Maoists, they say they are fighting for the rights of tribals in the region.