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

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members in the house, then they would take the woman from that house. The people they took did not return home. 71 Naiyya’s brother, age 17, who was forcibly taken away along with her uncle to attend a meeting, returned after a few days and told them that they had been taken to a Salwa Judum camp. But her uncle was prevented from returning. 72 Salwa Judum members harassed villagers who did not voluntarily relocate to camps. For instance, one strategy was to cut off villagers’ access to the weekly market. 73 One villager said, People from Neeram are not allowed to cross the [Indravati] river anymore—even to go to the market. They have to go all the way to Naranyanpur market, which is a two-and-a-half-days’ walk. 74 A villager from Lingagiri described how after a Salwa Judum meeting in Lingagiri in early 2006, government security forces asked all villagers who had not relocated to the Basaguda camp to report at the police station every day. He said, After the meeting, we had to go to Basaguda police station everyday. One member from each family had to go everyday and report that we are still there [and had not joined the Naxalites]. The timing for reporting was fixed—around 8 to 9 a.m. If we didn’t go, the other villagers would be questioned and when we went the next time we would get threatened and beaten by Salwa Judum members. Even if we 71 Human Rights Watch interview with Kaskul Naiyya (pseudonym), IDP from Nayapara, village K3, Khammam district, December 2, 2007. The Central Reserve Police Force or CRPF is a paramilitary police force deployed by the Indian central government in the region. 72 Ibid. 73 Human Rights Watch interview with Kosambi Mukesh (pseudonym), IDP from Durma, village W6, Warangal district, November 30, 2007. 74 Human Rights Watch interview with Mandavi Siddharth (pseudonym), person displaced from Neeram, location withheld, December 11, 2007. 35 Human Rights Watch July 2008
were sick we had to go and report in the police station if we didn’t want to get beaten the next time. 75 Typically, if villagers refused to relocate to camps despite threats and harassment, then Salwa Judum members and government security forces used other coercive techniques—they terrorized civilians by beating or abducting them, taking away their livestock, and burning huts and at times entire villages. Raids on villages usually came without warning. “As soon as Salwa Judum members and CRP people [CRPF] entered the village, they started beating people and setting huts on fire. They didn’t make any announcements or give any orders [to vacate the village],” said Vachcham Ragu from Sankanpalli. 76 Describing an attack by Salwa Judum and government security forces on Pidmel, one villager said, Judum came to my village along with SPOs [special police officers] for the first time in summer last year [2006]. They came and surrounded the entire village. Some of us managed to run into the jungle before they surrounded the village and some got caught. Those who got caught got beaten severely. They came three times to our village. First two times they beat people. The first time they came they also burned eight huts. My hut was not burned. Though they took away all the livestock—the poultry and goats. I lost three goats. They also looted all my utensils, our clothes, blankets, and barrels. 77 In many cases Salwa Judum members along with government security forces killed civilians and raped women to terrorize them and force relocation. Human Rights Watch received reports from villagers of approximately 55 killings of family members, 75 Human Rights Watch interview with IDP-1 from Lingagiri (who chose to remain anonymous), village K1, Khammam district, December 1, 2007. 76 Human Rights Watch interview with Vachcham Ragu (pseudonym), IDP from Sankanpalli, village W4, Warangal district, November 30, 2007. 77 Human Rights Watch interview with Tati Dhiren (pseudonym), IDP from Pidmel, village K8, Khammam district, December 6, 2007. See above, section III, Background, for additional information regarding SPOs. “Being Neutral is Our Biggest Crime” 36
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 and 12: of villages in Bijapur and Dantewad
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: Sometimes senior police officials,
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
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When Veka Idma was about age 12 or
Page 143 and 144:
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
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
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