A demonstration by Congress activists demanding right over forest land under the Forest Rights Act turned violent today as they gatecrashed into the forest range office at Raighar in Nabarangpur district and ransacked it, police said.
The police arrested 18 Congress activists including former MP Pradeep Majhi. Hundreds of Congressmen along with local tribals led by Majhi took out a procession in front of Tahasil Office, Block Office and Forest Range Office at Raighar, a Maoist dominated area.
The demonstration turned violent when a number of Congressmen forcibly entered the Forest Range Office and ransacked it, police said.
The party later submitted a memorandum to Governor through the local tahasildar in which it was stated that 18,5000 people reside in the block and of this 78 percent reside in forest lands.
But, the memorandum alleged, most of the poor people were yet to get their title of the forest land.
The memorandum said the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act was passed when Congress led UPA was in power at the Centre. But the implementation of the act was being delayed after NDA came to power in 2014. The BJD Government in the state was also not giving a serious look to it, they alleged.
In February last year the party had submitted a memorandum to the local Tahasildar who assured party to settle the issue withing six months but was not done, Majhi claimed.
