An open letter signed by dozens of academics, authors and activists around the world has urged writers to reconsider attending the Vedanta Jaipur Literature Festival London 2016, saying the event's title sponsor is infamous for human rights violations around the world.

"Are you aware that Vedanta's activities are destroying the lives of thousands of people in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Punjab and also in Zambia, South Africa and Australia?" the message asks prospective participants.

Vedanta Resources is metals and mining company headquartered in London, and has often been under scrutiny for its human rights and environmental record. The allegations against it include dangerous working conditions, destruction of crops, unlawful exports and widespread environmental damage, among others.

The letter points to accidents at the company's factories, its irregularities in obtaining environmental clearances and its efforts to out-muscle locals in legal battles, citing examples from Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Goa and Rajasthan. It claims Vedanta is trying to "create favourable public opinion" by sponsoring events such as the Jaipur lit fest and the International Film Festival of India.

The letter notes that "literature does not exist in a vacuum" and that writers and artists "also have responsibilities". It urges writers to "withdraw from involvement in this discredited and damaging PR campaign, rather than lending [their] name to it".

Here is the full text of the letter:

Dear All,

We are deeply shocked and dismayed to hear that you have agreed to participate at the Jaipur Literature Festival claiming to be "The Greatest Literary Show on Earth" which has 'the world's most hated company' Vedanta as its key sponsor. Are you aware that Vedanta's activities are destroying the lives of thousands of people in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Karnataka and Punjab and also in Zambia, South Africa and Australia? Are you also aware that Zambian villagers are currently taking Vedanta subsidiary KCM to court in the UK, accusing it of consistently poisoning their water over the last decade?

In 2011 Zambian High Court Judge Phillip Musonda said he wanted to make an example of Vedanta for their 'gross recklessness' in polluting the River Kafue without remorse, and highlighted 'KCM's don't care attitude whether human life which sacrosanct in our constitution was lost or not.' In 2014 Vedanta 69% owner and Chairman Anil Agarwal was caught on video bragging to businessmen at a Bangalore conference that he had bought the Zambian copper mines at a fraction of their value and was making $500 million each year despite declaring a loss in Zambia. The Zambian government reacted by auditing the mines, and discovered vast tax evasion schemes and asset stripping.

In Korba, Chhattisgarh, India between 40 and 100 workers died at Vedanta subsidiary BALCO's aluminium smelter complex when a chimney under construction collapsed on them in September 2009. The subsequent judicial inquiry into the incident found Vedanta guilty of negligence and using sub-standard materials and construction methods. However, Vedanta's lawyers suppressed the report which was leaked by activists in 2014.

In Odisha, India a nineteen year struggle by indigenous communities, Dalits and farmers led to a historic victory in 2014 when Vedanta was stopped from mining the sacred Niyamgiri hills for bauxite. Vedanta's attempt to secure the mountain through State Owned OMC was rejected by the Supreme Court again on May 6, 2016. Vedanta Aluminium Ltd had built the 1 mtpa Lanjigarh refinery at the base of the Niyamgiri hills in 2004, and even expanded it six fold, despite having no permission to mine bauxite from the hills above. Vedanta's launch on the London Stock Exchange in 2003 was based on the impression given to financiers that they had permission to mine Niyamgiri.

In Goa, India, Vedanta's iron ore mining subsidiary Sesa Goa (now Vedanta Limited) was the largest company indicted by the Shah Commission in 2012 for illegal mining, including failure to obtain leases or environmental clearance, and exporting 150 million tonnes of iron ore from Goa in 2010/11 while only declaring 76 million, their agreed export allowance.

Not far from Jaipur itself Vedanta is accused by an employee's union of casualising and de-unionising the labour force at Hindustan Zinc Ltd by reducing permanent workers to only 2,500 of 18,000 workers. The Maton Mines Mazdur Sangh (Maton Mines Workers Union) is also opposing Vedanta for poor working conditions and destruction of crops and houses around their phosphate mines. Meanwhile, on 11th May 2016 Anil Agarwal promoted Sterlite Technologies announced its successful bid to to run a second 'smart city' project in Jaipur.

Vedanta has been attempting to create favourable public opinion by sponsoring International Film Festival of India (IFFI), the Our Girls Our Pride gender project and even the oxymoronic Mining Happiness campaign, using celebrities and media houses to hush up its liabilities. But each of these attempts has been exposed by grassroots groups and people's movements pointing out Vedanta's corporate crimes using social media and letter writing.

The Vedanta JLF at Southbank is yet again another cynical attempt to distract attention from Vedanta's crimes at a time when it stands exposed across India and internationally. Vedanta's interests are directly opposed to the Dalit, Adivasi, Bahujan Samaj and black communities it claims to be helping.

Literature doesn't exist in a vacuum. As public figures, we believe that writers and artists also have responsibilities. It makes little sense to discuss books and ideas and the problems of the world in abstraction, while being funded by and publicising a company that has been and continues to be a gross violator of human rights across the world. We hope that you agree, and will withdraw from involvement in this discredited and damaging PR campaign, rather than lending your name to it.

Yours sincerely,

Anu Ramdas, Editor, Round Table India

Naren Bedide (Kuffir), Editor, Round Table India

Courttia Newland, writer

Dr. Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar
Medical doctor and author, Jharkhand, India

Firoze Manji, former Editor, Pambazuka News

Gladson Dungdung, Activist, Author

Arao Ameny, Founder of Association of African Journalists & Writers

Neetisha Xalxo

V.Divakar, Editor, The Baroda Pamphlet

Sruthi Herbert, Doctoral Candidate, SOAS

Ashley Tellis

Akash Poyam, Founding Editor at adivasiresurgence.com

Surya Shankar, Filmmaker

Ashutosh Wasnik, senior human resources analyst at SaskPower, govt of Saskatchewan, Canada

Gaurav Somwanshi, Entrepreneur

Akshay Pathak, Writer

Cathal Healy-Singh, Environmental Engineer, Trinidad & Tobago

Atul Anand, Researcher & Documentary maker

Alex Lubin, Professor, University of New Mexico

Rafiq Kathwari, poet

Hemant Divate
poet, editor, publisher and translator

Amrit Wilson

Kavita Bhanot, writer

Manju Rajak, Artist

Gouri Patwardhan, filmmaker

Aflatoon, All India Organisational Secretary, Samajwadi Janaparishad

Vinay Shende, HR Professional

Nilesh Kumar, PhD Researcher, TISS

Dharma Teja, Dalit Camera

Amita Kanekar

Ananta Dash

Rollie Mukherjee, Artist & writer, Vadodara.

Tariq Mehmood, writer, Assistant Professor, American University, Beirut

Vinita Damodaran, Director, CWEH, University of Sussex

Saransh Gautam, IT Professional

Prameya M, Ph.D student

Vaibhav Wasnik, postdoctoral researcher, Saarland University, Department of Physics

Pinak Banik, Artist and Teacher

Stalin K., Director, Video Volunteers

Priyadarshini Ohol, Artist

Abhiyan Humane, Artist and Teacher

Priyabrata Mahapatra, IT Professional

Subash Kulesika, Youth Leader, Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti

Rebecca Oliner, Artist

Devangana Kalita, Foil Vedanta

Amarjit Chandran, poet

Taru Dalmia, the ska vengers

Samara Chopra, the ska vengers

Mohinder Singh, Assistant Professor, Political Science JNU

Samantha Asumadu, Media Diversified

Koonal Duggal, Researcher, Department of Cultural Studies, EFL University

Ganesh Digal, Odisha Research Scholars For Social Justice (ORSSJ)

James Nyasulu, community activist and pollution affected person, Chingola, Zambia.

William Chitundu, KCM former miners, Zambia.

Jonathan Mbewe, Residents of 1st Street against Pollution, Chingola, Zambia.

Miriam Rose, Foil Vedanta

Samarendra Das, Foil Vedanta