SALWA JUDUM: UNREPORTED INDIA’S HIDDEN WAR
By Mr. Madhu ChandraHuman Rights Activist
Have you heard about Salwa Judum - India’s hidden war in tribal dominatedarea of central Indian state Chhattisgarh? I am sorry! I haven’t until Iattended at a People’s Convention at Hindi Bhavan, New Delhi organized by Campaign for Peace and Justice in Chhattisgarh (CPJC)!
Sociologists, activists and scholars have condemned Salwa Judum as Statemachinery’s license to its people to kill its own people in the name ofcounterfeit encountering Red Corridors.Can you believe it happens in central part of this vast country, known andproud of being world’s largest democratic nation!
Indian Medias of both printand electronic are known of their capability to unearth but it seems they arenaïve on India’s hidden war against tribal communities of Chhattisgarh thatmakes India’s hidden war still hidden from nation’s eyes and ears.
CNN IBN in 2006 March warned the nation provoking the Home Ministry byexposing the Red Corridor of Naxals (Maoists) in tribal dominated areas ofBihar, West Bengal, Jharkhan, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.
A documentary film “India’s Hidden War” produced by reporter Sandra Jordan and Director James Brabazon was screened and left its images of deep wound and violation against the innocent tribal communities of Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh who used to live peacefully in their own world.Sandra and James traveled deep into the Indian jungle to expose how India’saspirations for a superpower economy are resulting in an increasingly bloody civil war. Government funded militias are battling red guerrillas of Naxal forcontrol of India’s mineral resources. Hundreds of thousands of tribal villagersare caught in the crossfire between Red Corridors and Salwa Judum.
(Picture:Salwa Judum Camp)Salwa Judum in Gondi term means a peace campaign merged by capitalists,traders, land owners and elites to fight against Naxalites from mid 2005, oftensupported by state machineries, state police forces and politicians. Ever sinceSalwa Judum merged, the lives of people, particularly Dantewada district ofChhattisgarh, where 90% of its habitants are tribal communities, becameturmoil.
According to CPJC, the leaders of Salwa Judum have empowered sections oftribal communities with bows and arrows, swords, axes and arms, marched fromvillage to villages to ethnic cleanse from Naxalites. Villagers who refuse tojoin Salwa Judum have been treated as members or pro-Naxalites.
Tribalvillagers are forced to relief camps run by Salwa Judum and those who refusedwere severely beaten even murdered by Salwa Judum activist with support statepolice forces and Naga Regiments.
[1]Salwa Judum leadership composes from top political leaders of BharatiyaJanata Party and Congress. They appoint the Camp leaders, mostly fromnon-tribal communities. Under political leaders and non-tribal camp leaders,recruits the hot blood youngsters with indoctrinations of hate campaign intoState Police Officers, who are trained and paid by Government machineries tojoin hands with ordinary innocent tribal villagers to loot, burn and rape inthe name of retaliating Naxalites.
Salwa Judum, Naxalites and Security Forces have killed over 500 lives eversince the merge of Salwa Judum in Dantewada district alone. Violation againstwomen includes the gang rap, custodial rape, mutilation of private parts,murder, continuous sexual abuse in villages, police stations and even so calledrelief camp of Salwa Judum.
The lowest 70,000 to maximum 100,000 Villagers are forced to internal displacement and migration to neighboring states of Orissa, Jharkhan and AndhraPradesh, who there suffer pathetic life situations.Government of Chhattisgarh has setup 20 Salwa Judum camps in Dantewada district where it is reported to have 47,500 villagers taken shelter.
The fact-finding team of CPJC reports that most of the relief camps face acute shortage of food, water and amenities. People are forced to live in extremely unsanitary conditions and did not allow tribal villagers to return back homes.In some of the relief camps, Government is trying to convert into permanentvillages of which many villagers are worried that their villages and cultivation lands with rich mineral resources would be one day turn into the clutches of capitalists, traders and elites to convert into mineral factories.
Challenging the constitution validity of Salwa Judum, the Supreme Court ofIndia issued notice to Chhattisgarh government in May 2007 to stop Salwa Judumcommitting atrocities in the pretext of countering the Naxalite movement andurged to order impartial enquiry into atrocities committed by this group.
[2]The state machinery’s crime against its own people has been desperately kepthidden to the nation and world. The victims testified in People’s Conventionthat state machineries intentionally didn’t allow Medias to come and report onIndia’s hidden war of Salwa Judum.Deep in India’s central jungle, weaker section of India’s tribal societieswho already suffered socio-economic and educational backwardness, remainsunheard of their man made and state sponsored crime on humanity.
The People’s Convention demands from Chhattisgarh Government
1. Disband and disarm Salwa Judum immediately.
2. Stop appointing Special Police Officers
.3. Stop Recruiting children and adolescents below 18 years of age.
4. Allow tribal communities to return to their villages.
5. Government to rebuild burnt and broken homes.
6. Stop harassment and allow free access to journalists, civil societyorganization, and medical camp and education workers.
7. Repeal the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act 2005
8. Create a conductive atmosphere for dialogue to find politicalresolution to political issues.
9. Stop arrest, detention and false implication of Human RightsActivists, Social Workers etc. and release all such persons.
The People’s Convention demands from Government of India1. Stop aiding and abetting Salwa Judum in the name of promoting “localresistance groups.”
2. Institute a high level independent enquiry into all acts ofviolence-rape, arson, loot, murder and disappearances by Salwa Judum andparamilitary forces and initiate criminal proceedings.
3. Recognize the right to live and dignities of internally displacepeople living outside Chhattisgarh and ensure their safety.
4. Create a conductive atmosphere for dialogue to find politicalresolution to political issues.
People’s Convention demands from Naxalite
1. Stop all forms of violence
2. Create a conductive atmosphere for dialogue to find politicalresolution to political issues.
3. Stop recruiting children and adolescents below 18 years of age
4. Allow safe return of villagers to their home including Salwa Judumsupporters.
No comments:
Post a Comment