Rights Group CASR Condemns Arrest of Activist Lingaraj Azad in Odisha, Demands Immediate Release

New Delhi: The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has strongly condemned the recent arrest of prominent human rights defender Lingaraj Azad and fellow activist Suresh Sangram. Both individuals were taken into custody by the Odisha Police on March 25, 2026, in Bhawanipatna.

Azad is a leading figure of the Samajwadi Jan Parishad and is deeply involved with grassroots movements such as the Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti and the Maa Mati Mali Suraksha Manch. He has been a consistent voice against illegal land acquisition and mining projects in the region's Scheduled Areas.

According to a statement released by CASR, these arrests are not isolated incidents. The organization views them as part of a broader pattern of state repression targeting individuals who resist the corporate extraction of resources on Adivasi lands.

CASR highlighted that Azad has been at the forefront of defending the Fifth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. He has tirelessly advocated for the enforcement of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, and the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which mandate the free, prior, and informed consent of the Gram Sabha before any mining or land acquisition can occur.

The rights group emphasized that natural resource-rich regions in Odisha are facing aggressive extraction by corporations, often with state facilitation. They specifically pointed to large-scale mining projects linked to companies like Vedanta Resources, stating that such operations lead to massive displacement, loss of traditional livelihoods, and irreversible ecological damage.

Despite existing legal protections, CASR noted that Gram Sabhas are routinely bypassed or manipulated, reducing democratic processes to mere formalities. The organization claims that community leaders and activists who resist these projects are increasingly targeted through surveillance, intimidation, and fabricated legal cases.

In response to the arrests, CASR has issued several demands. Foremost among them is the immediate and unconditional release of both Lingaraj Azad and Suresh Sangram, along with the withdrawal of all charges against them.

The group is also demanding an immediate halt to forced land acquisitions and mining projects that lack Gram Sabha consent. Furthermore, they are calling for the strict implementation of constitutional protections for Adivasi communities and demanding accountability for officials responsible for illegal arrests and rights violations.

CASR concluded its statement by urging democratic forces, civil society organizations, student groups, and citizens across the country to speak out against this systematic repression. The group warned that the ongoing development model prioritizes corporate profit over human rights, resulting in dispossession and deepening inequality.