India: CASR DEMANDS IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF LINGRAJ AZAD
We hereby share the press statement published by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) found in their social media.
Date: 27 March, 2026
CASR DEMANDS IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF LINGRAJ AZAD CONDEMNS STATE REPRESSION AND CORPORATE LOOT IN ADIVASI REGION
The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) strongly condemns the arrest of prominent Human rights defenders Lingaraj Azad, who was arrested by the Odisha Police on 25 March 2026 from Bhawanipatna, along with fellow activist Suresh Sangram.
Azad, a leading figure of the Samajwadi Jan Parishad and associated with people’s movements like the Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti and Maa Mati Mali Suraksha Manch, has consistently raised his voice against illegal land acquisition and mining projects in Scheduled Areas.
His arrest is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of repression against those resisting corporate plunder of Adivasi lands. Azad has been at the forefront of defending the constitutional protections guaranteed under the Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and laws such as the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 and the Forest Rights Act, 2006. These laws clearly mandate that no land acquisition or mining activity can proceed without the free, prior, and informed consent of the Gram Sabha [Editor’s note: assembly where the villages’ inhabitants are enabled to make decisions at a local level].
Corporate Loot and Forced Displacement
CASR emphasises that the arrest of Lingaraj Azad must be understood in the wider context of increasing corporate loot in natural resource–rich regions of Odisha and across India. Areas rich in minerals—inhabited largely by Adivasi and forest-dwelling communities—have become sites of aggressive extraction by corporations, often facilitated by the State.
Large-scale mining projects, particularly those linked to companies such as Vedanta Resources, have led to massive displacement, destruction of forests, loss of traditional livelihoods, and irreversible ecological damage. Despite legal safeguards under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 and the Forest Rights Act, 2006, Gram Sabhas are routinely bypassed or manipulated, reducing democratic processes to mere formalities.
Those who resist—activists, community leaders, and organisations—are increasingly being targeted through false cases, arrests, surveillance, and intimidation. The arrest of Azad is a clear attempt to silence one of the strongest voices against this ongoing corporate-driven displacement.
OUR DEMANDS:
– Immediate and unconditional release of Lingaraj Azad and Suresh Sangram
– Withdrawal of all false and fabricated charges against them
– An immediate halt to forced land acquisition and mining projects without Gram Sabha consent
– An end to corporate loot of natural resources and displacement of Adivasi communities
– Strict implementation of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 and Forest Rights Act, 2006
– Accountability of officials responsible for illegal arrests and violations of constitutional rights
CASR calls upon all democratic forces, civil society organisations, student groups, workers’ unions, and concerned citizens across the country to raise their voices against this systematic plunder and repression.
The ongoing model of “development” that prioritises corporate profit over people’s rights is resulting in dispossession, marginalisation, and deepening inequality. Criminalising dissent will not silence the resistance of the people.
Release All Political Prisoners!
Stop Corporate Loot!
Stop State Repression!
Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)
Organising Team
(AIRSO,AISF, APCR, ASA, BASF, BSM, Bhim Army, bsCEM, CEM, COLLECTIVE, CRPP, CSM, CTF, DISSC, DSU, DTF, Forum Against Repression Telangana, Fraternity, IAPL, Innocence Network, Karnataka Janashakti, LAA, Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, NAPM, Nazariya Magazine , Nishant Natya Manch, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad, Smajwadi lok manch, Bahujan Samjavadi Mnach, United Peace Alliance, WSS, Y4S)
