Bhubaneshwar, Jul 1: On Thursday, Jun 30 five political parties launched a day-night dharna demanding immediate withdrawal of police force from Posco's proposed plant site near Paradip.

Leaders and activists of CPI, CPI-M, Forward Bloc, RJD and Samajwadi Party held a demonstration before sitting on a dharna on Mahatma Gandhi Marg near the state secretariat.

Accusing the Orissa government of terrorising anti-project protesters by deploying armed police close to their dharna site, CPI state secretary Dibakar Nayak alleged "police beat up people and forcibly acquired their betel vines."

The agitators including children and women were sitting at the 24x7 dharna at Gobindpur. In fact, the barricade created by the villagers have prevented the entry of police into Dhinkia area, the epicentre of anti-Posco agitation.

"The state government's efforts to use force in order to break the peaceful and democratic protest could prove costly," said Samajwadi Party state leader Rabi Behera.

The five protesting parties also criticised Chief Secretary B K Patnaik for terming children's participation in the anti-Posco agitation as "illegal".

According to CPI leader Asish Kanungo, the chief secretary should study history of freedom struggle where children had also played a role.

OneIndia News