Skip to main content

Chhattisgarh BJP turned Bastar into open warzone in run up to elections: FACAM

Counterview Desk 
Commenting on the death of 29 persons in Bastar, which  the security forces claimed as part of a massive operation against Maoists, the civil rights network* Forum Against Corporatization And Militarization (FACAM) has said that reports received  by it suggest 17 of them were "not killed during the firing with the state forces."
In a statement, FACAM said, the 17 persons "were shot dead after they had been captured by the paramilitary personnel and were unarmed and injured when they were murdered", and there have been  "reports of torture prior to this fake encounter have also surfaced".
Contending that tribals are living in a state of terror in Bastar area, FACAM said, villages like Palaguda, Ittaguda, Jilorgada, Gommaguda, and Kanchal, near the Bijapur-Sukma border have seem massive deployment of "American and Israel-manufactured rocket launchers and drones", leading to "intense amount of destruction" of trees being death of cattle. 
"The people in the area narrowly escaped the attacks and experienced loss of property. Drones have been spotted continuously over the skies and there is an atmosphere of fear in the area. This is also the harvest season for Mahua flowers", it added.  

Text:

On 7th April 2024, the Indian state conducted yet another aerial bombing in Bastar region, an act which has occurred for the fifth time in the area since 2021. In the same time period, on 16th April 2024, 29 Maoists were reportedly slain by a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Border Security Forces (BSF) in a supposed anti-Naxal operation. 
According to ground reports received by FACAM and several media reports, out of the 29 people killed in the encounter, 17 were not killed during the firing with the state forces, but were shot dead after they had been captured by the paramilitary personnel and were unarmed and injured when they were murdered. Reports of torture prior to this fake encounter have also surfaced. 
Since 1st January 2024 when the Indian state unleashed Operation Kagaar in Abujmarh, numerous killings of unarmed Adivasi peasants in the name of countering Maoism have taken place, with nearly 100 killings taking place since 1st January 2024. Just this month, on 2nd April 2024 in Nendra village, in what was dubbed the “biggest anti-Naxal operation since 2017” by the Indian state where it proclaimed that it had killed 13 Maoists, Kamli Kunjam, a deaf Adivasi girl was killed in the same operation and at least one other villager was similarly shot dead during this operation. 
Her family reported that she was sick and was dragged from her home. Her clothes were found torn, along with injury marks near her lower abdomen hinting towards rape, an all-too-common occurrence at the hands of the Indian state’s paramilitary in the region. 
Similarly, on 27th March 2024, the Indian state claimed it had gunned down 6 Maoists near the Chipurbhatti forest area in Bijapur district where the villagers have argued that atleast one of the murdered persons was a villager and that the people were actually captured and not shot dead during exchange of fire. 
Photos have surfaced of tied and bound persons timed prior to the alleged encounter, indicating that this too was a fake encounter of captured Maoists, with the Indian state’s paramilitary carrying out summary executions with raw impunity and in sheer mockery of the state’s law.
Since the coming of BJP government in the Chhattisgarh state assembly late last year and upon the run upto the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Indian state has turned Bastar into an open warzone. On April 7, 2024, a joint operation conducted by various wings of the paramilitary forces, targeting villages like Palaguda, Ittaguda, Jilorgada, Gommaguda, and Kanchal, near the Bijapur-Sukma border, American and Israel-manufactured rocket launchers and drones were used to drop more than 30 high-intensity explosives in these villages. 
From the area in which the bombs have struck, to a radius of about 100-200 sq meters, there has been an intense amount of destruction with trees being completely uprooted and cattle slaughtered. The people in the area narrowly escaped the attacks and experienced loss of property. Drones have been spotted continuously over the skies and there is an atmosphere of fear in the area. This is also the harvest season for Mahua flowers. 
The Adivasi peasantry sleeps under the Mahua trees to ensure the protection of the Mahua flowers during this season and regularly stay in the forest lands. The bombing have become a major hindrance to the harvesting of these flowers which is an essential part of their livelihood and Adivasi cultural practices. 
Day-to-day lives and practices of Adivasi peasants have been turned into lives of fear and terror. The villagers organized peaceful sit-in protests against this aerial bombing and videos have surfaced showing the paramilitary personnel forcing them into police vehicles and dragging them away, threatening them imprisonment and death for carrying out peaceful protests. Leading Adivasi peasant activists like Surju Tekam were unceremoniously arrested under the draconian UAPA law under fabricated charges.
In such times, the Indian state makes no distinction between armed resistance or peaceful. According to Article 3 of the Geneva convention, those individuals who have been forced into non-combatant situations due to injury or ones who have laid down their arms, have to be treated with dignity. Further, state violence like torture, or murder without judicial proceedings is prohibited even against armed resistance. 
Although India is a signatory to the convention, the Indian state has in no way followed these guidelines set by the convention. Furthermore, the Indian state is bound to differentiate between armed resistance forces and unarmed civilians in the region, yet, the Indian state continues to wage an indiscriminate war on its own people at the service of imperialists and big Indian corporates. 
The victims of this assault for corporatisation includes a 6 month old child who was shot dead by the security forces on 1st January 2024. The genocidal war on the Adivasi peasants has also seen the use of aerial bombings via Israel-made drones over villages populated by civilians.
Forum Against Corporatization And Militarization (FACAM) is deeply concerned by the escalation of the Indian state’s war against people in Bastar and condemns the aerial bombings and fake encounters conducted in the region. FACAM urges for the immediate scrapping of the Surajkund Scheme which provides basis to all the militarization at the service of corporate interests in the resource-rich regions.
Forum Against Corporatization and Militarization (FACAM) demands:
1.⁠ ⁠Criminal proceedings and investigation in cases alleged to be "crossfire".
2.⁠ ⁠Independent inquiry into Chipurbhatti, Korcholi and Chote Betia encounters by democratic rights organizations committee headed by a retired Supreme Court Judge.
---
*All-India Students Association (AISA), All India Revolutionary Students Organization (AIRSO), All India Revolutionary Women's Organization (AIRWO), Bhim Army Student Federation (BASF), Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Students Organization (BASO), Bhagat Singh Chatra Ekta Manch (bsCEM), Collective, Common Teachers Forum (CTF), Democratic Students Union (DSU), Fraternity Movement, Nazariya Magazine, Progressive Lawyers Association (PLA), Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan (MAS), Trade Union Centre of India (TUCI), Vishwavidyalaya Chhatra Federation (VCF)

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

Hyderabad protest demands end to Operation Kagar as senior Maoist leaders killed in encounter

By Harsh Thakor*  A protest was held on June 17 at Indira Park in Hyderabad by the Shanti Charchala Committee, calling for an end to Operation Kagar and the start of peace talks with Maoist groups. The event brought together representatives from several political parties and civil society organizations. Among those who addressed the gathering were CPI (ML) New Democracy Central Committee member Vemulapalli Venkatramayya, along with leaders from the Congress, BRS, CPI, CPM, Telangana Janasamithi, MCPI, SUCI, CPI ML, RSP, and VCK. The programme also featured performances by cultural groups such as CLC, HRF, TVV, Arunodaya, Praja Kala Mandali, and Praja Natya Mandali. Public figures including actors Narayana Murthy and Tudundebba Upendar and academics like Professor Anver Khan and Professor Vinayaka Reddy participated as speakers.
Post a Comment
Read more

Food security crisis persists in Gujarat despite NFSA: Survey reveals grim ground reality

By A Representative  A new field-based survey conducted in January 2025 across Dahod, Panchmahals, Morbi, and Bhavnagar districts has revealed alarming levels of food insecurity among vulnerable communities in Gujarat, ten years after the implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Conducted by Anandi – Area Networking and Development Initiatives (ASAA) and community organisations working with mahila sangathans, the Gujarat Food Security Survey covered 1,261 households, purposively chosen to reflect the experiences of marginalised populations including Adivasis, OBCs, single women, the disabled, and the elderly. The findings suggest that despite the promises of NFSA and wide coverage under the Public Distribution System (PDS), food deprivation remains widespread and systemic failures continue to exclude the most vulnerable.
Post a Comment
Read more

Land under siege: A silent crisis, desertification is threatening India’s future

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  Desertification is emerging as one of the gravest environmental challenges of our time. Marked annually on June 17, the World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought reminds us that the fate of our planet’s land—and the billions who depend on it—is hanging in the balance.
Post a Comment
Read more

Victim to cricketing politics, Alvin Kalicharan was a most organized left handed batsman

By Harsh Thakor* On March 21st Alvin Kalicharan celebrates his 75th birthday. Sadly, his exploits have been forgotten or overlooked. Arguably no left handed batsman was technically sounder or more organized than this little man. Kalicharan was classed as a left-handed version of Rohan Kanhai. Possibly no left-handed batsmen to such a degree blend technical perfection with artistry and power.
Post a Comment
Read more

Central London discussion to spotlight LGBTQ+ ex-Muslim rights and persecution

By A Representative   On June 13, 2025, the Dissident Club in Central London will host a public discussion to mark the 18th anniversary of the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain (CEMB) and to commemorate World Refugee Day. The event, scheduled from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, will feature speakers Ali Malik, Maryam Namazie, and Taha Siddiqui, who are expected to address the intersecting challenges faced by LGBTQ+ ex-Muslims globally.
Post a Comment
Read more

Better halves lead the way as organic farmers, entrepreneurs and social reformers

By Bharat Dogra  Two major challenges continue to limit the full participation of rural women in development. First, their crucial roles, potential, and capabilities often remain underrecognized. Second, even when women are encouraged to take on broader responsibilities, the overarching development models may not align with their needs or perspectives and may even appear counterproductive. Under such conditions, it is unrealistic to expect women to engage as enthusiastic and creative participants.
Post a Comment
Read more

Citizens demand judicial probe into Ahmedabad plane crash, cite neglect of intern doctors, victims' families

By A Representative    A wide coalition of concerned citizens, academics, medical professionals, social activists, and public intellectuals has submitted a petition to the Prime Minister of India demanding an urgent judicial inquiry into the recent tragic airplane crash in Ahmedabad that claimed over 240 lives. The petition, coordinated by the Movement for Secular Democracy (MSD), calls for a high-level judicial committee, headed by a retired High Court justice and comprising eminent citizens, to investigate the incident beyond the scope of the existing technical committee.
Post a Comment
Read more

Hope from the Amazon: Land rights, indigenous voices, and the winds of change in Latin America

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  After several days of travel and digital silence, I returned from a rare and deeply moving journey into the Amazon region of Colombia. It was not just another field trip, but an opportunity to witness the pulse of Latin America’s land rights movement, firsthand.
Post a Comment
Read more

Lepa Radić: A symbol of defiance and resistance, of fight against oppression

By Harsh Thakor*  December 29th marks the centenary of the birth of Lepa Radić, a Yugoslav Partisan whose courage during World War II continues to resonate through history. Born on December 19, 1925, in the village of Gašnica in what is now Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lepa Radić was only 15 when the Axis powers invaded Yugoslavia in April 1941. In response to the occupation, she joined the Partisan resistance, eventually becoming one of its most revered figures. At the age of 17, she was executed by the Nazis for her involvement, refusing until her death to betray her comrades.
Post a Comment
Read more