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

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Chhattisgarh government uses its security legislation to impose curbs on the press, particularly newspapers and other media outlets that are critical of Salwa Judum and the police. Santosh Poonyem, a former Salwa Judum leader and Bijapur bureau chief of Dainik Prakhar Samachar, a daily Hindi newspaper, complained that he faced harassment from the police: I started reporting these incidents [abuses by Salwa Judum members and government security forces] to the IG [inspector general of police of Chhattisgarh], CM [chief minister of Chhattisgarh], and district collector. The new [Bijapur District] Collector Ken promised security for me but nothing was delivered. The police took me to the police station in October this year [2007] and threatened to kill me. They showed me a gun, held me at gunpoint, and said I would be killed if I don’t say whatever they ask me to say in the newspapers…. I have two brothers—one is working in the BRO’s [block revenue officer] office and the other is in Raipur, working with the police. My brother who works in the BRO’s office was beaten up severely and was admitted in the hospital for four days. The Judum beat him. 167 Kamlesh Paikra, a former journalist with Hind Sath, a Hindi newspaper, was forced to stop reporting because of police threats and harassment. He said, I was a reporter for Hind Sath and published a news item about Salwa Judum—that they had burned Mankeli village in September 2005. After this news item got published, my elder brother was taken to the police station and beaten, and they charged him with being a Naxalite. He was sent to jail. I also learnt that the police were planning to kill me in an encounter. So along with my family, I left our house in Cherpal—15 kilometers from Bijapur … I do not report anymore. It is difficult to be 167 Human Rights Watch interview with Santosh Poonyem, Bijapur district chief bureau for Dainik Prakhar Samachar (Hindi newspaper), Bijapur, December 14, 2007. 65 Human Rights Watch July 2008
independent and report because there is severe pressure from the administration. 168 The report by the international press organization Reporters sans Frontieres (RSF) on Chhattisgarh documents five more instances of police beatings, harassment, and restriction of movement of journalists, which involved nine journalists and their crews. 169 RSF and the International Press Institute have criticized Chhattisgarh government’s suppression of freedom of expression and opinion. 170 Activists and journalists who attended peaceful protests and meetings to discuss Salwa Judum-related issues also have been harassed by the police. Manish Kunjam, a former member of the Chhattisgarh legislative assembly is opposed to Salwa Judum and organized a protest rally in November 2007 in Jagdalpur. According to him around 200,000 people attended it. “Villagers from Geedam area were not allowed to attend the protest rally,” said Manish Kunjam. 171 Further describing the nature of problems they faced, he said, The administration heard about our rally and spread rumors that villagers were planning to come to Jagdalpur and attack people. We had a lot of difficulty organizing it. Villagers were carrying their [food] rations, water, and other household items because they walked for three or four days from interior areas and they were stopped on the way [by the police]. The police wanted us to ask them to leave all their things behind but how could we ask them to do that? They would have all starved. 172 168 Human Rights Watch interview with Kamlesh Paikra, former journalist, Dantewada, December 11, 2007. 169 Reporters sans Frontieres, “Journalists in trouble when reporting on tribes: Situation of freedom of expression in India’s Tribal State of Chhattisgarh,” undated, http://www.rsf.org/IMG/pdf/Report_Chhattisgarh-2.pdf (accessed March 21, 2008). 170 Ibid; International Press Institute, “2006 World Press Review: India,” report, http://www.freemedia.at/cms/ipi/freedom_detail.html?country=/KW0001/KW0005/KW0116/ (accessed March 21, 2008). 171 Human Rights Watch telephone interview with Manish Kunjam, former member of Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, Sukma, March 18, 2008 172 Ibid. “Being Neutral is Our Biggest Crime” 66
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India “Being Neutral is Our Bigge
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Copyright © 2008 Human Rights Watc
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VI. Plight of Persons Displaced by
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© 2008 John Emerson “Being Neutr
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Gram Panchayat/ Panchayat ICCPR ICE
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of villages in Bijapur and Dantewad
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Since 2006 local nongovernmental or
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Frightened, many villagers hid for
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Salwa Judum, particularly Salwa Jud
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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: under Indian penal law. 163 Many NG
Page 73 and 74: eing beaten up by Salwa Judum membe
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Page 77 and 78: electricity, adult literacy centres
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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
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The Naxalites do not deny the recru
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I have seen SPOs younger than me in
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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
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Maraiguda stated that he was ordere
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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
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IX. Impact of the Conflict on Educa
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other villages which do not have sc
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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
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) Chhattisgarh government assists t
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protect the rights of the displaced
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HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH 350 Fifth Avenue
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government investigated any allegat
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“Being Neutral is Our Biggest Cri
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We acknowledge with gratitude the f
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