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

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esidents and activists stated that very few camps offered such classes, that they were generally run for a short period, and that villagers were not able to use these skills to generate any income. 228 A teacher from Bijapur who visits camps to encourage children to attend schools said, Initially, in 2005, the government provided some vocational training— sewing, basket-making. Now there is no training in the camp. People have not been able to use this training for any employment and government does not provide any assistance to give them any employment. 229 Volunteers who work in camps in Bijapur district said, “No one has benefited in any way from the [vocational] training. They may make some things for themselves, but make no income. Some people have kept sewing machines, but for personal use.” 230 Activists and volunteers working in camps pointed out that camp residents no longer celebrate traditional tribal festivals. “We can monitor nutrition and health indicators, provide clean water and vaccinations,” said one activist working in the camps. “But where are the songs? Where are the festivals? I have not heard a single family play the drums in the evenings in over two years. Their cultural identity has been destroyed and that is a wound that will be impossible to heal,” he said. 231 Unofficial camps and permanent housing sites Government data for January 2007 shows that there are government-run camps in Bijapur, Cherpal, Gangalur, Awapalli, Basaguda, Usur, Bangapal, Kasoli, Bhairamgarh, Pharsegarh, Matwada, Nelasnar, Jangla, Kutru, Mirtur, Bedre, Dornapal, Errabore, Injeram, and Konta. 232 In 2007, as noted above, at least four additional 228 Human Rights Watch group interviews GR2 with residents of Dornapal camp (who chose to remain anonymous), location withheld, December 12, 2007; GR8 with volunteers working in camps (name and details withheld). 229 Human Rights Watch interview with T-1 (who chose to remain anonymous), government teacher in Bijapur, location withheld, December 14, 2007. 230 Human Rights Watch group interview GR8 with volunteers working in camps (name and details withheld). 231 Human Rights Watch interview with N2 (name withheld), local activist, Dantewada, January 28, 2008. 232 District Collector, “Brief Memorandum [Dantewada (undivided)],” 2007. 77 Human Rights Watch July 2008
camps were started. 233 Assuming the Chhattisgarh government did not close or merge any of them, there are at least 24 officially recognized camps. The Chhattisgarh government also maintains a list of “sanctioned [permanent] houses for Naxal affected displaced families” (permanent housing list) which is a list of locations where the government claims to be providing permanent housing “at the camp site and nearby villages” for those residents who wished to stay at such locations permanently. 234 Human Rights Watch interviewed NGO volunteers and journalists who stated that they worked in or had visited the following areas that are listed as permanent housing sites—Uskapatnam, Bodli, Karkeli, and Patarpara. 235 The NGO volunteers working in these sites said that the “permanent housing sites” were created in 2006 when people were forcibly relocated to these areas, and that the government does not provide most facilities like police protection, health care facilities, and rations at these sites. 236 In December 2007, Human Rights Watch visited a permanent housing site in Dantewada district. The people residing at this site consistently stated that Salwa Judum members and government security forces had forcibly relocated them from their village in 2005. 237 They also stated that they wanted to return to their home village eventually. Many of them had begun visiting their village to cultivate their fields, and as a result, had faced reprisal measures in December 2007 from Salwa 233 Human Rights Watch interview with Rahul Sharma, first interview, December 10, 2007. Sharma stated that two new camps were started in Jagargonda and Polampalli in 2007. Human Rights Watch also visited Jayanagar (Nayapara) and Jailbada camps in Bijapur, whose residents stated that it was started in 2007. The Jagargonda camp houses around an additional 2,000 people while the other new camps house residents from existing camps. For instance, the new Polampalli camp near Dornapal now houses many villagers who formerly resided in the Dornapal camp, and the Jayanagar (Nayapara) and Jailbada camps house villagers who formerly resided in Bijapur camp. 234 District Collector, “Brief Memorandum [Dantewada (undivided)],” 2007. 235 Human Rights Watch telephone interviews with A3 andA4 (names withheld), volunteers working at permanent housing sites, Dantewada, March 15, 2007; group interview GR9 with journalists (names withheld), Dantewada, February 1, 2008. 236 Ibid. 237 Human Rights Watch group interview GR1 with residents (who chose to remain anonymous), B1 permanent housing site, Dantewada district, December 15, 2007. “Being Neutral is Our Biggest Crime” 78
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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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of camp residents and other displac
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Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, People’s U
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egion between June 2005 and June 20
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through underground village committ
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health care. 17 Census data from 20
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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: dependent upon the state for their
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
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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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