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Raipur/Bhilai: National Investigation Agency (NIA) sleuths raided the residence of Kala Das Dahriya situated in Bhilai, suspecting him has connection with Naxals. Kala Das is an active member of the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha Mazdoor Karyakarta Samiti and a local folk artist, residing in Durg district. During the raid on Thursday morning, teams from the Central Industrial Security Force and Jamul Police were kept deployed outside his house.
According to reports, the NIA team seized a damaged laptop, pen drive, and mobile phone belonging to Kala Das's daughter during the search operation.
Notably, Kala Das runs a democratic cultural NGO named Dahriya Rela, which uses dance, songs, and cultural performances to highlight the issues faced by farmers, tribals, and laborers. The organization receives funding from various parts of the country.
Following the raid, Kala Das Dahriya interacted with the media, denied having any links with Naxals and gave a statement, "I am a popular singer, and many people have my mobile number. Suspecting collusion with Naxalites is wrong."
He defended himself, claiming that he has been targeted because of his advocacy for workers' and farmers' rights. He criticized the NIA's actions as an attempt to suppress his voice and that of his organization, which speaks out for people's and labourers rights and issues. Regarding Rela, he mentioned that he has been invited to Ranchi on August 1 focusing on farmers, tribals, and laborers.
He described Rela as a democratic organization collaborating with the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha, funded by donations from across the country, mostly in small amounts rather than large sums. He reaffirmed that Rela's team will continue working for the welfare of laborers, tribals, and the underprivileged in the future.
Some people who earlier worked with Kala Das expressed astonishment over the raid and on the condition of anonymity they said in the beginning the man used to be very energetic in raising the issues of labourers and deprived sections.
But if agency carried out raids then it is their responsibility to show the evidence that he has links with the banned ultras otherwise it should be considered as an attempt to silence the voice of the unheard. However, on the raid, NIA has yet to make any statement.
