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

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Government and Salwa Judum abuses The Indian central and Chhattisgarh state governments claim that Salwa Judum is a “voluntary and peaceful initiative by local people against Naxalites.” Human Rights Watch, however, found overwhelming evidence of direct state involvement in Salwa Judum and the group’s involvement in numerous violent abuses. Over a period of approximately two-and-a-half years, between June 2005 and the monsoon season of 2007 (June to September), government security forces joined Salwa Judum members on village raids, which were designed to identify suspected Naxalite sympathizers and evacuate residents from villages believed to be providing support to Naxalites. They raided hundreds of villages in Bijapur and Dantewada districts, engaging in threats, beatings, arbitrary arrests and detention, killings, pillage, and burning of villages to force residents into supporting Salwa Judum. They forcibly relocated thousands of villagers to government-run makeshift Salwa Judum camps near police stations or paramilitary police camps along the highways. They also coerced camp residents, including children, to join in Salwa Judum’s activities, beating and imposing penalties on those who refused. Although Salwa Judum’s raids were most frequent between June 2005 and mid-2007, they continue to carry out violent attacks in reprisal against former camp residents who have returned to their villages. There have also been reports of government security forces executing persons suspected of being Naxalites and labeling the executions “encounter killings,” falsely implying that the deaths occurred during armed skirmishes. Police arbitrarily detain individuals as suspected Naxalites, interrogate them, and in some cases, subject them to torture. Chhattisgarh police have recruited camp residents including children as special police officers (SPOs), an auxiliary police force, and deploy them with other paramilitary police on joint anti-Naxalite combing operations. This has exposed underage SPOs to life-threatening dangers, including armed attacks by Naxalites, explosions due to landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and Naxalite reprisal killings. 7 Human Rights Watch July 2008
Since 2006 local nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have reported the recruitment of underage SPOs by the Chhattisgarh police. The Chhattisgarh state government maintains that it has now removed all children from its ranks. Some officials claim that the recruitment occurred because many villagers did not have proper age records. However, Human Rights Watch found that there continues to be no procedure or scheme for systematically identifying, demobilizing, and reintegrating underage SPOs. The lives of underage SPOs who have not been identified and reintegrated remain at risk. These ongoing human rights abuses have resulted in a massive internal displacement crisis that is yet to be addressed by the Indian central or concerned state governments. By December 2007 around 49,000 villagers had been relocated to at least 24 camps in Bijapur and Dantewada districts, while many others had fled to safer parts of Chhattisgarh. An estimated 65,000 villagers had fled to adjoining states of Maharashtra, Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh to escape the conflict. Roughly 30,000-50,000 have settled in Andhra Pradesh. Three years after the forcible relocation of local populations into camps and the exodus from Chhattisgarh to neighboring Andhra Pradesh began, neither the Indian central nor the Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh state governments have developed a comprehensive policy to provide these displaced persons with protection and assistance. Most displaced persons have lost their homes, their land, most of their livestock, and their primary means of livelihood—agriculture. Those living in government-run Salwa Judum camps survive in cramped conditions and typically lack even the most basic sanitation and health care facilities. There are few opportunities for employment in the camps, leaving many residents with little or no income. While the Chhattisgarh state government initially provided regular free food rations to residents in some of the camps, in some instances those rations have been cut back or eliminated. Human Rights Watch also found that additional displaced persons live in unofficial settlements and so-called government permanent housing in Bijapur and Dantewada districts, which have access to fewer services than camps that are acknowledged by the Chhattisgarh government. “Being Neutral is Our Biggest Crime” 8
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 and 10: Gram Panchayat/ Panchayat ICCPR ICE
Page 11: of villages in Bijapur and Dantewad
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
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under Indian penal law. 163 Many NG
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independent and report because ther
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eing beaten up by Salwa Judum membe
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the country, to liberty and freedom
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electricity, adult literacy centres
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only 10 health workers to attend to
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dependent upon the state for their
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camps were started. 233 Assuming th
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Impediments to return The Chhattisg
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villagers’ access to markets maki
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1. Prior to carrying out evictions,
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our huts. About 10 forest departmen
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A volunteer with an NGO that provid
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met with further retributive measur
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Despite the court’s orders, fores
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for at least 100 days a year. 303 T
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In many places, displaced persons d
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Naxalites beat and kill villagers,
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that they rubbed small stones [grav
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Similarly, Naxalites beat and haras
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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
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for this reason we are compelled to
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The Naxalites do not deny the recru
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I have seen SPOs younger than me in
Page 125 and 126:
The recruitment process The nationa
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I became an SPO last year in March
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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
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ecruitment, but Naxalites pressure
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When he was part of the bal sangam
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I joined when I was 15 years old. I
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When Veka Idma was about age 12 or
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later on when I became a dalam memb
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Naxalites’ policy regarding recru
Page 147 and 148:
IX. Impact of the Conflict on Educa
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other villages which do not have sc
Page 151 and 152:
The ITDA project officer for Khamma
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uses all authority at its disposal
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To the Chhattisgarh state governmen
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• Release complete information, u
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• Cooperate with UNICEF and other
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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
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“Being Neutral is Our Biggest Cri
Page 173 and 174:
We acknowledge with gratitude the f
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