2 days ago
Anti-Maoist Operations Aimed at Enabling Corporate Loot, Violence Must End: Joint Statement
Citizens, tribal rights activists and organisations urged the Union and state government to stop repression and violence in Adivasi areas.
Illustration: Pariplab Chakraborty.
New Delhi: In a joint statement released on Saturday (July 5), citizens, tribal rights activists and organisations called for an end to the 'repression' and 'violence' in predominantly Adivasi areas across the country, especially in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
More than 40 organisations are signatories to the joint statement, including the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Jharkhand; the National Alliance for Climate and Ecological Justice; the Adivasi Adhikar Manch, Jharkhand; and the National Alliance of People's Movements.
Individuals who are signatories include poet and writer Jacinta Kerketta and economist Jean Dreze under the banner of the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha.
Violence and repression in the name of 'eradicating Maoism' have increased in predominantly tribal areas such as Bastar, Chhattisgarh in recent years, the statement said. However, civilians are also killed along with Maoists in these operations.
Moreover, the government's attitude is against the peaceful and democratic protests of indigenous communities against displacement, forced mining, forced camp construction and militarisation, the statement said.
'The Adivasis have been fighting against forced land acquisition, eviction from forests and arbitrary mining for decades. They are fighting for a dignified life and constitutional rights. Even then, the widespread violation of PESA, Fifth Schedule, Forest Rights Act and constitutional rights of the Adivasis is increasing,' the statement read.
The fifth schedule of the constitution aims to protect tribal autonomy and their rights over land in areas notified as part of this schedule. The districts of Surguja, Bastar, Raigarh and Raipur in Chhattisgarh, for instance, come under the Fifth Schedule.
The Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, meanwhile extended the provisions of gram sabhas or panchayats to the tribal areas of nine states that have Fifth Schedule areas, including Chhattisgarh, in an effort to enable tribal self-governance in these regions.
The Forest Rights Act – officially the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 – recognises the rights of tribal and other forest dwellers to their ancestral lands within forested areas and proffers them rights to live on the land, sustainably use forest resources, and protect and conserve these areas.
The July 5 statement claimed that the 'real objective' of anti-Maoist operations in states such as Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand is to enable 'corporate loot':
'Big business houses have their eyes on them. The disagreement of the Gram Sabhas, various movements of non cooperation and resistance of the Adivasis, progressive organizations fighting for the poor and the Maoists stand against this loot. And naturally, the government comes forward to protect corporate interests, administratively suppresses these protests.'
Though the insurgent Communist Party of India (CPI) (Maoist) has expressed its intent to engage in peace talks, Maoist elimination campaigns still occur.
Most recently, security forces killed 31 people – including Maoists and, allegedly, unarmed tribals – in the Karregutta mountain range of Bastar in Chhattisgarh, the statement said. In many of these cases, the dead bodies have not even been handed over to their families, it claimed.
'This shows that in the name of 'eradicating Maoism', the government is set out to destroy the constitution, international laws, humanity and social cultural customs,' the statement said, adding that this was a 'blot on our democracy and constitutional system'.
The signatories called on the state and Union governments to put an immediate stop to armed aggression and violence in these areas and implement a 'credible ceasefire'. It also urged that authorities engage with local indigenous communities on their issues, and start a dialogue with the CPI (Maoist).
A tribal youth organisation in Bastar, the Moolvasi Bachao Manch, which was fighting against forced camps and displacement, has been banned and its leaders arrested under 'fake charges'. This needs to be undone by withdrawing the charges against its leaders and releasing them, the statement said.
It also urged the governments to remove all armed force camps, camps built without the consent of gram sabhas as well as camps setup in schools, apart from ensuring the proper implementation of laws such as the PESA, the fifth schedule and Forest Rights Act in these areas.
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