#Maoists #Adivasis #Tribals #Naxals #Bastar #Bijapur #Chhattisgarh #SecurityForce #SupremeCourt #Govt #Villagers #Peru #Guatemala #Reconciliation Calls for more concerted military action ignore what has actually been happening. On the 46 km stretch there are now 7 CRPF camps. Overnight, large stretches of forest were cleared in Burkapal, for a helipad on one side and a CRPF camp on the other, and the question of forest clearances for this, or any other security installation, is never even seen as an issue. The biodiverse forests of Bastar—which are national treasures—have been one of the biggest casualties of this war, which rages across trees, roads, transformers, schools and the bodies of men, women and little children. Sceptical villagers argue that rather than reducing hostilities, the presence of the camps will mean constant skirmishes between the forces and the Maoists, following which the forces will take it out on them. They report that security forces steal chickens from their homes when they are out in the fields; and indeed, with camps close by, even going out to defecate, cultivate or collect fuel wood becomes a hazard, especially for women. In Chintagufa, where several buses are parked to ferry security personnel back and forth, the forces have taken over the primary healthcare centre and the school. The Supreme Court’s orders on keeping off schools mean nothing to them. The Maoist ambush came barely a week after an equally terrible attack by the security forces, again during an area domination exercise, on the villagers of Edesmetta in Bijapur, who were celebrating Beeja Pandum, the seed sowing festival. 8 villagers, including 4 children, were killed, while severely injured villagers were given medical aid only a day later after local media coverage. The Chhattisgarh police claims it needs SPOs for intelligence gathering, refusing to disband them as the Supreme Court ordered. To respond with even more force now would be a grave mistake, for insurgencies thrive on government excesses. If a country like the US with its military might could get bogged down in Vietnam and Afghanistan, what makes us think we can succeed militarily? A far better model would be the Latin American countries, like Peru and Guatemala, with similar histories of guerrilla war and exploitation of indigenous people which resolved their conflicts through Truth and Reconciliation Commissions. If FARC and the Colombian government can come to an agreement on land reforms after 30 years, what prevents a democracy like India?
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 09:19:43 +0000
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