Caught In The Crossfire

Let us imagine the following scenario in Delhi: Thegovernment informs the capital's citizens that the terrorist threat is such thatit can no longer assure them a reasonable amount of security; besides, the powerand water situation is worsening, while getting admission to school for theirchildren becoming more difficult.

But this is an enlightened government — so it suggests, sign up for a peacehunt (like a treasure hunt) and we will move you to this magical place where allyour wants will be addressed. We will give you one room tenements in a high risenext to the police station. But what will happen to my home, you ask? Willsomeone take care of that? No, of course not, you can keep an eye on ityourself. How long do I stay away from my home? Till we get rid of theterrorists.

You protest: The government says your protest means you support theterrorists. You say: I don't support the terrorists, but I don't want to give upmy home for an urban slum. The government says, "Make up your mind - eitheryou are with us or you are with them." You protest again: So the policecome around and burn down your home, beat you up and take you kicking andscreaming to the slum.

Is that democratic, MrPunj? What would you do if that happened to Delhi's citizens? You would bethere on the streets at Jantar Mantar or on Parliament Street, courting arrestto protect the rights of the citizens.

The fact is, today, in Chattisgarh, the Salwa Judum(which translates not as peace initiative but, interestingly, as peace hunt) isa state sponsored organization fighting the Maoists, where, innocent tribals,instead of the government and the police, are being put on the frontline. TheSalwa Judum (SJ) has no organisation because its members are drawn from thelocal elite, wealthy tribal leaders, traders and contractors— those whosuffered most at the hands of the Maoists— and the Special Police Officerstemporarily recruited by the government from among younger SJ activists or ex-Sanghammembers (village-level Maoists), who along with the local police arrive andcoerce adivasis to abandon their villages for the dubious comforts and"security" of the camps. 

How humane, I ask you, is it to lure poor young tribal men and women betweenthe ages of 18 and 20, with the lure of Rs 1500 a month, call them SpecialPolice Officers, give them rudimentary training in the use of arms, and set themloose on the population with guns— eventually cannon fodder for the Maoists?Earlier, the Maoists targeted corrupt policemen and forest rangers; today, theyare killing ordinary tribals.

The government— and I don't hold just the Raman Singh governmentresponsible, as some local Congress leaders and even the Centre, areaccomplices— has abdicated its responsibility towards its citizens. Thegovernment's agenda is twofold: one, it thinks by emptying the jungles, it willcut off the lifeline of the Maoists and two, it wants to hand over the vacatedland to companies such as Essar, Jindal etc.

If some local Congress leaders such as Mahendra Karma are backing the BJPinitiative, it does not make the Salwa Judum a genuine people's movement. Justask Ramesh Bais who, if I am not wrong, is a respected BJP leader in the state.He described the describes the SJ as "gale me haddi saman—something that you can neither swallow nor throw up". Ask members ofyour sister organization, Vanvasi Kalyan Kendra, and all the businessmen in thestate who profess allegiance to your party why they pay "taxes" to theMaoists.

You say you have been to Chattisgarh to meet MahendraKarma, but have you taken a walk in the forests of Bastar? Have you been toDantewada? Bijapur? Have you been to the camps? There at the camps, and in theforests, you will hear from the tribals how they live— in mortal fear of theadministration, caught in the crossfire between the Maoists and the government.

You write: "Dantewada is the most uncharacteristic place to become aMarxist laboratory. It has been an aboriginal, egalitarian and exploitation-freesociety since time immemorial." Perhaps you are unaware that, for years,local police men and forest rangers have harassed and exploited the tribals,providing an opening for the Maoists who, by dispensing quick justice, were seenas preferable to the administration.

You will say that since I disapprove of the Salwa Judum, I must be a Maoistor at least their supporter. But let me tell you, I have as little time for the violence of the left as I have of the right. As a liberal,I believe that coercion and violence have no place in a democracy. The point is not whether those who oppose the Salwa Judum are Maoistsor their supporters— the point is that the government has abdicated its responsibilities to the tribals of Chattisgarh. It needs to fight the battle against the Maoists frontally, not fight from theshoulders of helpless tribals.