The poorest and natural resource rich regions of the country, including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, AP, Telengana, WB, Bihar, Maharashtra, MP and UP are witnessing extrajudicial killing of innocent people, especially Adivasies, in large numbers by police and paramilitary forces deployed to fight Maoists.
The Home Ministry data says during the last five years around 2,200 civilians and 800 security forces were killed in Maoist operations in different parts of India. In Odisha, between 2011 and 2016, more than 200 people were killed in left wing extremist violence. In a most recent incident at Gungudumaha on July 9 last, five people were killed which include a two-year-old child, two men and two women and six people were injured by an attack of SOG police and CRPF in Kurtamgada, Malapanga forest in Kandhamal district of Odisha which generated lots of debates among political parties and social organisations questioning the role of State Government.
In ensuring protection of common people in the left wing extremist areas of the State, there were similar cases of fake encounter by police and paramilitary forces in recent past. Earlier such type of incident had taken place at Kalyansingpur of Rayagada district, Nishaguda of Kalahandi and Madaguda of Kandhamal where people were killed in crossfire while they were searching for their missing goats.
The common people have been facing harassment and police brutality and the mobility of the people has been getting restricted to the forest while FRA encourages their ownership over forest for livelihood. There have been increasing atrocities against SCs and STs in the State and the NCSC and NCST have expressed concern over inaction by the State Government.
There are six battalions of BSF, eight battalions of CRPF and one Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) deployed in the State while the State has been demanding before the Home Ministry for more number of paramilitary forces to be deployed in Naxal affected areas or Maoist prone districts such as Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Nuapada, Koraput, Malkanagiri, Balangiri, Baragada, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Jajpur and Ganjam.
The State Government has formed Odisha Auxiliary Police Force (OAPF) by recruiting tribal youths from Naxalite affected areas of the State. It is important to see how the State Government has been managing the huge presence of police and paramilitary forces in backward areas and making them accountable to local people while enforcing law and order.
Article 21 of the Constitution of India says no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law but this needs to be translated into reality in case of poorest of the poor who are deprived of their life and liberty to move freely in their own locality.
There has been demand for scraping of draconian laws such as Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and The Armed Forces Special Power Act which are undemocratic and anti-people. The accountability of police and paramilitary forces to constitutional system should be increased and police reform should be made to make the police more humane and responsible while dealing with common people in disturbed areas for maintaining law and order.
The casteist, anti-ethnic, racial and patriarchal mindset and attitude of the police forces towards Dalit, Adivasies and women need to be changed.
The Maoist-hit districts are inaccessible backward areas with rich forest and mineral bearing and also these are 5th Scheduled areas having a large number of Adivasi and Dalit population who primarily depend on forest resources for their survival.
These areas have mineral bearing and attract MNCs to set up mining and industry there and the local people have been resisting such move of the Government while demanding right to self-determination over their land under the provisions of constitution. Why the State Government is so careless about the life and liberty of the people living in backward areas where it has failed to provide basic amenities and social infrastructure in spite of hundreds of schemes and programmes and availability of financial resources under plans and sub-plans for the poor and the marginalised.
By such unwanted incidents, the mobility of the people in forest areas has been restricted and people usually are not coming out even for livelihood with fear of police and paramilitary forces deployed in their areas.
The most recent Kandhamal incident shows serious callousness of the local administration in ensuring human dignity, humanitarian aid and treatment facility to the injured victims.
The local SP and Collector failed to ensure timely humanitarian action for the poor victims of police firing. The higher police officials who are in charge of the operation are behaving in an irresponsible manner with life and liberty of the people at stake.
The innocent poor tribal and Dalit people are being harassed, humiliated and physically tortured by the police and paramilitary personnel on many occasions without reason. There has been complaint of missing of people in the area who are taken by police for interrogation. There have been hundreds of Adivasies and Dalits put in jail with false cases after being arrested under suspicion of Maoist link. Their cases have been pending in courts without trial and there have been no legal aid or judicial pro-activeness to release such innocent poor people suffering due to their poverty, illiteracy and legal backwardness.
The Government without addressing the issues of the people has been more engaged in fighting against the left wing extremism by spending huge financial resources from the treasury on security in the name of countering Maoists. The real security is the wellbeing of the people.
There has been no regular employment facility and most of the schemes and programmes meant for them have not fully reached to them due to bureaucratic apathy and lack of political will by ruling parties in Government at different times along with insignificant representation of Adivaise and Dalits in governance and development administration.The best possible way to counter Maoist violence is development of the marginalized and dialogue with the community.
(manasbbsr15@gmail.com, mob: 9437060797)