As the massacre of
innocent tribals continues with the toll now having reached 250 the masses of
Bastar, under the leadership of the CPI(Maoist) have been resisting the fierce
attack heroically. The rulers have sought to spread the Salwa Judum (SJ)
campaign to the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. A campaign in the name of
Lokyatra/Shantiyatra was taken up by the government covering Sironcha, Allapalli,
Bhamragadh, Nadipalli and Kasansur and upto Gadchiroli via Tipragadh area. The
leadership was given by one journalist Suresh Dwadeshivar editor of the Congress
Lokmat newspaper. The so called Shantiyatra was basically packed with Congress
and RSS elements. The campaign was escorted by police vehicles throughout and
was thus exposed as a police-sponsored camp-aign. There was not much
mobilisation for the shanti yatra unlike in Bastar. Baba Amte and a large number
of intellectuals from Vidarbha opposed the campaign. Even the once leader of the
separate Vidarbha movement (and later Congress minister), Jamantrao Dhote in a
signed article in a daily paper condemned not only opposed this Yatra but also
the very system of which he was once a part and gave support to the naxalite
movement. The CPI(Maoist) Gadchiroli division organised a successful bandh
against this campaign on March 30.
Since the end of
January the local Party in the area has taken a massive political and military
campaign throughout the area. The political campaign has focused not only on the
SJ and against the para-military forces but also against imperialism and
feudalism. While a specific military campaign was taken from April to June.
The political
campaign included the following: On March 8th a widespread campaign was taken
throughout DK against patriarchy in general and against the inhuman brutalities
of the SJ hoodlums and paramilitary against women in particular. On March 23rd,
in commemoration of the 75th death anniversary of Bhagat Singh an extensive
anti-imperialist campaign was taken (see separate report). On May 1st a DK bandh
was called against the Black Act passed by the Chhathisgarh government which
does away with every type of civil liberties of the people. On May 21st/22nd a
DK bandh was called against the Salwa Judum. Also regular campaigns have been
going on against the Raogarh mining project linking it to the very model of
imperialist sponsored development.
For 40 days the SJ
campaign was suspended after the Darbhagudem incident when the SJ hoodlums were
blown up, but was revived in the second week of April. In the second week of
April massive attacks were unleashed on several villages under the direct
leadership of Karma who personally burnt houses. At least 800 houses were burnt
in 10 villages — Gaganpalli, Otukendra, Banda, Heldad-banda, Etegatta,
Palamadugu, Arjam etc. In the South in Bijapur and Byramgadh blocs, SJ
committees have been formed for 10-12 villages. Meetings are being held near
Police Stations by mobilising people from nearby villages. On 8th May, 200 SJ
goondas along with 50 policemen attacked Nallamadugu village near Konta and
killed 3 members and burnt 50 houses. Since 12th April in Konta area 20 villages
were attacked and 700 houses were burnt. In the camps in Dornapal, Errabore,
Vinjaram and Kunta around 10,000 people are staying.
The Red Cross is
helping the SJ goondas by supplying funds and medicines in the name of helping
the victims.
But the masses have
been heroically resisting this fierce attack, organised into their militias and
in the PLGA. It is not only the higher formations of the Platoons and Company
that have been fighting back; the militias of the youth have been using the most
ingenious and creative methods to hit back. A few examples of this heroic
resistance has filtered in to the press notwithstanding the systematic attempts
to block out all information on the terror being unleashed in Bastar and the
people’s resistance.
Every Village a
Fortress
The people’s morale
is high due to their ability to successfully resist and thereby the people’s war
in this area has reached new heights. The ‘Koya Bhoomkal Militia’, Mass
Organisations and the people’s government, led by the PLGA have been retaliating
magnificently and have thereby achieved much successes.
The militia have
killed a number of leading elements of the SJ. Particularly the most notorious
Mahendra Karma’s right hand, Ajay Singh (a man from UP) was wiped out on May 22,
06. On this day Ajay Singh and his hoodlums were going on motorcycles to oppose
the Bandh call given by the CPI(Maoist) Special Zonal Committee. The militia
tracked his move-ments. They then blocked his path by felling a tree. Then he
and three of his accomplices were blown up by a pressure bomb.
The real essence of
the people’s war is that now virtually every village has been turned into a
fortress. To protect their villages the masses and militia have used many an
ingenious method like ‘boogie traps’, pressure bombs, and other such, to resist
the enemy forces. These have become a nightmare for the terror squads of the
government whether in uniform or out of it. People have been hiding their stock
of grains in the forests to save it from loot and destruction of the govt.
forces. In every village there are two to three sentry posts that function
around the clock. They alert the village well in advance on seeing the enemy
forces. Specific arrangements are made to first take care of the women, children
and the elderly. Not only are the villages being defended even every house is
becoming a fortress of resistance. Boogie traps have been laid even within the
houses, like the deep pit ‘boogie trap’. In some places ‘pressure bombs’ have
been placed, known only to the villagers.
Besides these
specific arrangements have been made to protect the martyr columns, erected in
many villages. The enemy forces also particularly target these as symbols of
resistance and the new power. so, for example, when they tried to destroy the
statues of the three erstwhile CCMs, Shyam, Mahesh and Murali, in a village in
the Indravati area a pressure bomb went off seriously injuring a jawan. Since
then they keep a distance from these martyr columns!!!
Also utilising the
weakness of these mercenary forces to loot valuables the villagers put bombs to
radio sets which go off on being turned on. In the process a number of the
looters have been killed. In one example the militia left a radio on the road
leading to Chinnapalli village in the Bairamgadh area. A to SJ goon and his
accomplice were killed when they tried to rob it.
The government has
always sought to target the Maad area which they claim is the Headquarters of
the Maoists. But all their efforts have got thoroughly defeated. In Dec 2005
itself they conspired to extend the SJ campaign from Bairamgarh/Bijapur at one
end and Narainpur at the other toward the Maad area going through Barsoor, Orcha,
Chotadongar and Koilbeda areas. In this connection they stationed the Naga
battalion at Narainpur and Pakhanjur. To create terror they burnt down the
houses of the leading activists, arrested and brutally tortured some and
gang-raped many a woman activist. They killed a number of mass leaders. In
Jan.2006 the PLGA arrested about two dozen SJ elements recruited form the area
who had also been given arms training. They were brought before a people’s
court. The people passed a death sentence on a few of the ring leaders and
released the others after a stern warning. This was a major blow to the enemy
plan to make an entry into Maad. Having failed in this attempt they got massive
para-military forces to cross the Indrvati and went on a big campaign of burn
all, loot all, destroy all, attacking village after village. Hired SJ goons from
Bijapur were used to hold so-called mass meetings. Inspite of threats and
coercion, not a single local attended; not even the local traders and political
leaders. Yet not a single person joined the SJ; on the contrary the local
militia wiped out a number of SJ goons and para-military forces. Thereby their
attack on Maad failed.
So we see that in the
ongoing people’s war in the DK the masses have been mobilised for the war. They
are not mere sympathizers or spectators; they are actual participants in the
war. It is by only involving the masses in the war in this way is it possible to
conduct a real people’s war. The revolutionaries of DK have set an excellent
example. But besides the mass participation the lead in the war has to come from
the Main forces of the PLGA, who are the vanguard in the battle. We now give
below some examples that have reached the outside world of these heroic battles
(earlier issues have also covered other battles).
PLGA in Forefront of
the Battle
At the start itself
the attack on the CRPF mine-proof vehicle in which 24 were killed (the action
being led by a Mahilla commander) there have been followed by successful actions
in Paded, Mendo, Vinjram, bailladilla, Chintalnar, etc. in which over 20 Naga/CRPF
forces were wiped out and many more were injured severely. Large quantities of
weapons and ammunition have been seized. In all these actions thousand from
the masses have participated making it truly a people’s war.
In North Bastar, 8
police were killed in the Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign since January 2006
and 55/60 police were injured. One SLR was seized. In South Bastar in the
Murikinaar raid the PLGA forces seized 49 weapons including 4 AKs, 2 stens, 1
Insas, 14 SLRs, 25—.303, 1 LMG, one 2" mortars, 1 pistol. 2700 rounds were also
seized. 11 police/SPOs died while 4 were injured. Also seized was one night
vision goggle.
On Feb 6th, 10 Naga
police were killed in Kothacheruvu near Bejji. Another 9 were injured. On Jan
29, the PLGA forces attacked the SPO camp in Gangulur and killed 8 SPOs/SJ
goondas. Another 10 were injured. On Feb 9th, in Operation Akash the PLGA
successfully conducted a raid . seized 14 SLRs, one 9mm, 20 tonnes of gelatine,
thousands of detonators, cordex wires. In this incident, com Kiran who was
earlier in 6th PL was injured. On Feb 11th, the militia attacked police and
seized one SLR in Chintalnaar. On Jan 22, a militia squad attacked a vehicle
coming from Bijapur to Avapalli bank and seized 5 lakhs and one DBBL.
When people began
returning from the govt camps to attend the tendu leaf picking and other works,
they were being forced to go back to the camps but the resistance by the PLGA
encouraged them to stay back in the villages. The SPOs are finding it difficult
to stay in the camps out of fear of attacks. Hence they are aggressively forcing
people to return to camps. The Murikinaar attack has encouraged the people much
and many SPOs are returning to villages and are apologizing for joining the SJ.
This is just a sample
of the attacks that have taken place by the PLGA forces. Others have already
been reported in earlier issues and many are still to reach the media from which
this information is gathered.
Countrywide
Democratic Opposition to the Salwa Judum
Besides, the
democratic and progre-ssive people of the state of Chhathisgarh took out a rally
of 10,000 in Raipur at the end of December last year. When the Raman Singh
government together with Mahendra Karma has tried to take out rallies in the
cities in support of the SJ a maximum of 100 people attend. This is an
indication as to who even the urban masses support.
In addition to all
this it has been reported in the media that in response to a call of the
Politburo of the CPI(Maoist) an all-India and international campaign has been
conducted to condemn the brutalities of the Indian government and their
international masters. A week long all-India campaign against the Salwa Judum
culminated in an all-India bandh on Jan.26th.
On June 14/15 a 2-day
Chakka Jam programme was called by the CC of the CPI(Maoist) in Jharkhand,
Bihar, Orissa, Chhathisgarh and parts of Bengal. The response to this call was
good and large parts of these regions came to a standstill for 48 hours.
Thousands of leaflets, posters banners were released and propagated by the
respective state committees of the party. The atrocities of the SJ were this
time focused well compared to the January programme. Particularly the towns like
Tatanagar, Ranchi, Dhanbad, Bokaro, Daltanganj, Chaibassa, Chatra, Hazaribagh,
Girdi, Gaya, Aurangabad, Patna, Gahtshilla, Purlia, Jhargram sub-division,
Belphadi, Malkangiri to Behrampur and Sambhalpur sub-division, Jagdalpur to
Bhopala-pattnam, Dantewada, Kanker, Narainpur sub division, etc witnessed
effective bandhs. According to a rough estimate of the media 50,000 trucks were
affected, particularly NH-5, NH-6, NH-2 and some other highways totally
witnessed jams of vehicles. No untoward incidence happened due to the
voluntary cooperation and participation of the people.
In Bihar and
Jharkhand officially the railways withdrew all the trains including freight
trains. 70,000 para-military forces were deployed to guard the vital
installations of the railways. However, total train traffic was jammed through
the cooperation of the masses. In order to avoid inconvenience to the people
there was advanced information given out calling upon them to support the
campaign against the Salwa Judum.
The CPI(Maoist)
appealed to the people of the country to oppose not only the SJ campaign but
also similar campaigns being unleashed in various parts of the country.
In addition to this
opposition a number of teams of intellectuals, journalists and civil liberty
activists who have visited the area have opposed the Salwa Judum including the
team of senior journalists like B.G.Verghese, Ramchandra Guha and leading
academic Nandini Sunder. There is a cry from all over the country to stop the
state-sponsored terror amongst the tribals of Bastar. Over 50,000 have been
displaced and virtually put in concentration camps in the named of protection.
These are hell holes and terror camps along the style of the "strategic hamlets"
set up by the US forces in Vietnam. They destroy the tribes and their culture
and dislodge them from their natural habitat. International opinion has also
come out in strong condemnation of these actions by the so-called democratic
government of this country.
The people of this
country have a right to rebel against the atrocities perpetrated against them.
They have a right to defend their lives and land against the rapacious sell out
to MNCs and compradors for mining and other purposes. And if they are attacked
with the brute armed might of the state they have the right to defend themselves
with whatever means possible. The real terrorists are the robber barons who want
to loot out country and their accomplices here. The people of our country will
never allow it!!!
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