âBeing Neutral is Our Biggest Crimeâ - Global Coalition to Protect ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

I. Summary We often wonder what sins we committed to be born at this time. Our lives are impossible. Naxalites come and threaten us. They demand food and ask us to help them with information about police movements. Then the police come. They beat us and ask us for information. We are caught between these people. There is no way out. — A resident of Errabore, a government-run camp, January 2008 In Chhattisgarh state in central India, a dramatic escalation of a little-known conflict since June 2005 has destroyed hundreds of villages and uprooted tens of thousands of people from their homes. Caught in a deadly tug-of-war between an armed Maoist movement on one side, and government security forces and a vigilante group called Salwa Judum on the other, civilians have suffered a host of human rights abuses, including killings, torture, and forced displacement. The armed movement by Maoist groups often called Naxalites spans four decades and 13 states in India. They purport to defend the rights of the poor, especially the landless, dalits (so-called “untouchables”), and tribal communities. Their repeated armed attacks across a growing geographical area led Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2006 to describe the Naxalite movement as the “single biggest internal security challenge ever faced” by India. Naxalites have maintained a strong presence in southern parts of Chhattisgarh since the 1980s. Although many indigenous tribal communities living in these areas support Naxalite interventions against economic exploitation, an escalating pattern of Naxalite abuses, including extortion of money and food, coerced recruitment of civilians, and killings of perceived police informants or “traitors,” has gradually alienated many villagers. In June 2005 popular protests against Naxalites in Bijapur district in southern Chhattisgarh sparked the creation of Salwa Judum, a state-supported vigilante group aimed at eliminating Naxalites. Salwa Judum’s activities quickly spread to hundreds 5 Human Rights Watch July 2008
of villages in Bijapur and Dantewada districts in southern Chhattisgarh. With the active support of government security forces, Salwa Judum members conducted violent raids on hundreds of villages suspected of being pro-Naxalite, forcibly recruited civilians for its vigilante activities, and relocated tens of thousands of people to government-run Salwa Judum camps. They attacked villagers who refused to participate in Salwa Judum or left the camps. Naxalites have retaliated against this aggressive government-supported campaign by attacking residents of Salwa Judum camps, and abducting and executing individuals they identified as Salwa Judum leaders or supporters, police informers, or camp residents appointed as auxiliary police. Neither the government nor Naxalites leave any room for civilian neutrality. Seeking protection from one side leaves area inhabitants at risk of attack by the other. Local journalists and activists who have investigated or reported abuses by Salwa Judum and government security forces have been harassed and described as “Naxalite sympathizers” by the Chhattisgarh state government, and live in fear of arbitrary arrest under the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2005. Even though some officials acknowledge that Salwa Judum’s activities have exacerbated the violence, resulting in loss of civilian life and property, the Indian central and Chhattisgarh state governments have failed to prevent or stop these abuses or hold those responsible accountable. In April 2008 the Supreme Court of India ordered the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to investigate complaints of abuse. While there is hope that the NHRC will conduct a thorough investigation of abuses by both sides, many analysts believe that unless the Indian central and state governments acknowledge and remedy their failure to uphold the rights of tribal communities, the Naxalite movement will continue to grow. The governments must immediately address the human rights and humanitarian catastrophe that has resulted from their policies in Chhattisgarh and hold all those responsible accountable. “Being Neutral is Our Biggest Crime” 6
Page 1 and 2: India “Being Neutral is Our Bigge
Page 3 and 4: Copyright © 2008 Human Rights Watc
Page 5 and 6: VI. Plight of Persons Displaced by
Page 7 and 8: © 2008 John Emerson “Being Neutr
Page 9: Gram Panchayat/ Panchayat ICCPR ICE
Page 13 and 14: Since 2006 local nongovernmental or
Page 15 and 16: Frightened, many villagers hid for
Page 17 and 18: Salwa Judum, particularly Salwa Jud
Page 19 and 20: of camp residents and other displac
Page 21 and 22: Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, People’s U
Page 23 and 24: egion between June 2005 and June 20
Page 25 and 26: through underground village committ
Page 27 and 28: health care. 17 Census data from 20
Page 29 and 30: The Naxalite problem has led to lac
Page 31 and 32: egular battalion to counter Naxalit
Page 33 and 34: NGO fact-finding teams have also ap
Page 35 and 36: The ‘Salva Judum’ movement is p
Page 37 and 38: persons also gave Human Rights Watc
Page 39 and 40: Sometimes senior police officials,
Page 41 and 42: were sick we had to go and report i
Page 43 and 44: to our village had bows and arrows,
Page 45 and 46: All able-bodied men had to particip
Page 47 and 48: them with escorts. We go with them
Page 49 and 50: there [pointing to a location about
Page 51 and 52: V. Abuses by the State Although the
Page 53 and 54: and my sister’s in the fields. My
Page 55 and 56: camps. 109 Two SPOs came forward to
Page 57 and 58: Gangi, one of the villagers, said t
Page 59 and 60: weeks [from the first visit to the
Page 61 and 62:
One of the boys got beaten a lot wi
Page 63 and 64:
A woman from Nendra said she saw th
Page 65 and 66:
member of the fact-finding team tha
Page 67 and 68:
In 2006 the Chhattisgarh government
Page 69 and 70:
under Indian penal law. 163 Many NG
Page 71 and 72:
independent and report because ther
Page 73 and 74:
eing beaten up by Salwa Judum membe
Page 75 and 76:
the country, to liberty and freedom
Page 77 and 78:
electricity, adult literacy centres
Page 79 and 80:
only 10 health workers to attend to
Page 81 and 82:
dependent upon the state for their
Page 83 and 84:
camps were started. 233 Assuming th
Page 85 and 86:
Impediments to return The Chhattisg
Page 87 and 88:
villagers’ access to markets maki
Page 89 and 90:
1. Prior to carrying out evictions,
Page 91 and 92:
our huts. About 10 forest departmen
Page 93 and 94:
A volunteer with an NGO that provid
Page 95 and 96:
met with further retributive measur
Page 97 and 98:
Despite the court’s orders, fores
Page 99 and 100:
for at least 100 days a year. 303 T
Page 101 and 102:
In many places, displaced persons d
Page 103 and 104:
Naxalites beat and kill villagers,
Page 105 and 106:
that they rubbed small stones [grav
Page 107 and 108:
Similarly, Naxalites beat and haras
Page 109 and 110:
not kill my uncle. They threatened
Page 111 and 112:
100 meters. The tractor driver—an
Page 113 and 114:
near the Boddiguda dam. We were abo
Page 115 and 116:
Errabore camp on July 17, 2006, whe
Page 117 and 118:
E. CPI (Maoist) Party statements Hu
Page 119 and 120:
for this reason we are compelled to
Page 121 and 122:
The Naxalites do not deny the recru
Page 123 and 124:
I have seen SPOs younger than me in
Page 125 and 126:
The recruitment process The nationa
Page 127 and 128:
I became an SPO last year in March
Page 129 and 130:
of them. My brother actually surviv
Page 131 and 132:
Maraiguda stated that he was ordere
Page 133 and 134:
The Chhattisgarh state government r
Page 135 and 136:
ecruitment, but Naxalites pressure
Page 137 and 138:
When he was part of the bal sangam
Page 139 and 140:
I joined when I was 15 years old. I
Page 141 and 142:
When Veka Idma was about age 12 or
Page 143 and 144:
later on when I became a dalam memb
Page 145 and 146:
Naxalites’ policy regarding recru
Page 147 and 148:
IX. Impact of the Conflict on Educa
Page 149 and 150:
other villages which do not have sc
Page 151 and 152:
The ITDA project officer for Khamma
Page 153 and 154:
uses all authority at its disposal
Page 155 and 156:
To the Chhattisgarh state governmen
Page 157 and 158:
• Release complete information, u
Page 159 and 160:
• Cooperate with UNICEF and other
Page 161 and 162:
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH 350 Fifth Avenue
Page 163 and 164:
) Chhattisgarh government assists t
Page 165 and 166:
protect the rights of the displaced
Page 167 and 168:
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH 350 Fifth Avenue
Page 169 and 170:
government investigated any allegat
Page 171 and 172:
“Being Neutral is Our Biggest Cri
Page 173 and 174:
We acknowledge with gratitude the f
show all

âBeing Neutral is Our Biggest Crimeâ - Global Coalition to Protect ...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?

âBeing Neutral is Our Biggest Crimeâ - Global Coalition to Protect ...