IMMEDIATELY RELEASE RANDALL SEQUEIRA AND LAXMAN NAIK!

South Asia Solidarity Group condemns the illegal arrests of Dr. Randall Sequeira and Laxman Naik who have been penalised for their rights-based community work amongst Adivasi and Dalit communities in Odisha.

The law is being weaponised consistently against these local communities, who are resisting mining activities in their land and territories.

We condemn the intimidation, criminalisation and incarcerations of local communities and other grassroots leaders and activists who have the right to peacefully resist and stand against injustice, violence, and their own dispossession.

We condemn this attempt of the state-corporate nexus to create a chilling effect in the region through brute force.

In the late 2000s, protests by Adivasi communities stopped Vedanta Limited, a London-headquartered company owned by billionaire businessman Anil Agarwal, from extracting bauxite from the Niyamgiri Hills. The Odisha government scrapped the mining project after village-level councils rejected the proposal to divert the forest land for mining in 2014. In recent years Vedanta Limited has come back and is trying to take over the Sijimali hills, again with the support of the Odisha government.

The arrest of these activists is not an isolated incident, but part of a deeply concerning global pattern where corporate interests are prioritised over indigenous rights, ecological destruction and environmental safety.

Protecting Jal-Jangal-Jameen (water, forests, land) against destructive mining projects is not a crime. It is the basis for Right to life. We stand in solidarity with all those defending this right.

We demand

• Immediately release Dr. Randall Sequeira and Laxman Naik!
• Drop all fabricated charges against them!
• Release all grassroots leaders and activists from the Niyamgiri/Sijimali region!
• Stop police brutality against Adivasi and Dalit communities in Odisha!