The newspapers are spilling sympathy stories on innocent tribal youth who lost their lives in the agitation at Balli. The BJP is fishing in murky waters as usual. The media persons claim they were not allowed to film the burning of Adarsh building. The Ballikars who are in the mining business are now being blamed for the arson. Here the anti-mining lobby seems to be fishing to settle their scores. The newspapers appear to be busy spinning stories to sensationalise the event and fill their column space. The UTAA claims the police instigated mobs to retaliate against the tribals. All too simple accusations and counter accusations. What we are not told clearly is about what instigated the Ballikars into rioting and arson. Have the police got video footages of the protestors and rioters as they usually collect at agitations? If not, why? Were the protestors armed with weapons that could cause harm? If yes, then why did the police not disarm them? Or, was it that they refused to pay heed to police warnings resulting in a lathi charge? Why did the magistrate not declare sec. 144 even before the tribal protest if there was a remote posibility of tension?
-Soter D.
