Salwa
Judum:Unreported
India's Hidden War
By Madhu Chandra
10 September, 2007
Madhuchandra.org
Have
you heard about Salwa Judum, India’s hidden war in tribal dominated
area of central Indian state Chhattisgarh? I am sorry! I haven’t
until I attended 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 State Machinery’s license
to its people to kill its own people in the name of counterfeit encountering
Red Corridors.
Can you believe it happens
in central part of this vast country, known and proud of being world’s
largest democratic nation! Indian Medias of both print and electronic
are known of their capability to unearth but it seems they are naïve
on India’s hidden war against tribal communities of Chhattisgarh
that makes India’s hidden war still hidden from nation’s
eyes and ears.
CNN
IBN in 2006 March warned the nation provoking the Home
Ministry by exposing the Red Corridor of Naxals (Maoists) in tribal
dominated areas of Bihar, 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’s aspirations
for a superpower economy are resulting in an increasingly bloody civil
war. Government funded militias are battling red guerrillas of Naxal
for control of India’s mineral resources. Hundreds of thousands
of tribal villagers are caught in the crossfire between Red Corridors
and Salwa Judum.
Salwa Judum in Gondi term
means a peace campaign merged by capitalists, traders, land owners and
elites to fight against Naxalites from mid 2005, often supported by
state machineries, state police forces and politicians. Ever since Salwa
Judum merged, the lives of people, particularly Dantewada district of
Chhattisgarh, where 90% of its habitants are tribal communities, became
turmoil.
According to CPJC, the leaders
of Salwa Judum have empowered sections of tribal communities with bows
and arrows, swords, axes and arms, marched from village to villages
to ethnic cleanse from Naxalites. Villagers who refuse to join Salwa
Judum have been treated as members or pro-Naxalites. Tribal villagers
are forced to relief camps run by Salwa Judum and those who refused
were severely beaten even murdered by Salwa Judum activist with support
state police forces and Naga Regiments.(1)
Salwa Judum leadership composes
from top political leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress. They
appoint the Camp leaders, mostly from non-tribal communities. Under
political leaders and non-tribal camp leaders, recruits the hot blood
youngsters with indoctrinations of hate campaign into State Police Officers,
who are trained and paid by Government machineries to join hands with
ordinary innocent tribal villagers to loot, burn and rape in the name
of retaliating Naxalites.
Over 500 lives have been
killed by Salwa Judum, Naxalites and Security Forces ever since the
merge of Salwa Judum in Dantewada district alone. Violation against
women includes the gang rap, custodial rape, mutilation of private parts,
murder, continuous sexual abuse in villages, police stations and even
so called relief 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 Andhra Pradesh, who there
suffer pathetic life situations. (Photo: Sanitary image of Relief Camp)
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 permanent villages 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 of India issued notice to
Chhattisgarh government in May 2007 to stop Salwa Judum committing atrocities
in the pretext of countering the Naxalite movement and urged to order
impartial enquiry into atrocities committed by this group.(2)
The state machinery’s
crime against its own people has been desperately kept hidden to the
nation and world. The victims testified in People’s Convention
that state machineries intentionally didn’t allow Medias to come
and report on India’s hidden war of Salwa Judum. (Picture: Children
without acute food and amenities)
Deep in India’s central
jungle, weaker section of India’s tribal societies who already
suffered socio-economic and educational backwardness, remains unheard
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 society organization, and medical
camp and education workers.
7. Repeal the Chhattisgarh
Special Public Security Act 2005
8. Create a conductive atmosphere
for dialogue to find political resolution to political issues.
9. Stop arrest, detention
and false implication of Human Rights Activists, Social Workers etc.
and release all such persons.
The People’s Convention
demands from Government of India
1. Stop aiding and abetting
Salwa Judum in the name of promoting “local resistance groups.”
2. Institute a high level
independent enquiry into all acts of violence-rape, arson, loot, murder
and disappearances by Salwa Judum and paramilitary forces and initiate
criminal proceedings.
3. Recognize the right to
live and dignity of internally displace people living outside Chhattisgarh
and ensure their safety.
4. Create a conductive atmosphere
for dialogue to find political resolution to political issues.
People’s Convention demands from Naxalite
1. Stop all forms of violence
2. Create a conductive atmosphere
for dialogue to find political resolution 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 Judum supporters.
1. Salwa Judum: Civil War in Chhattisgarh, CPJC, New Delhi, 2007, p.
6.
2. The Hindu, May 20, 2007
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