News Analysis India

Tag: Chhattisgarh protest

  • Tribals call off protests against CRPF camp in Chhattisgarh’s Silger

    Express News Service
    RAIPUR: The one-month-long protests by tribals against the setting up of a CRPF camp in Silger ended on Saturday with the authorities allaying some of their concerns. It comes a day after Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel agreed to meet the protestors.

    “We told them the camp is not a permanent structure like the police station and it is set up keeping in view the pressing demands of the existing situation in the area. On another demand for a judicial probe into the police firing, we assured them that all evidence and witnesses will be judiciously taken into account during the magisterial inquiry,” IG (Bastar Range) Sunderraj P told The New Indian Express.

    The rising COVID cases among tribals are also seen as the reason for the withdrawal of protests. More villagers have tested positive since the start of the protests. Silger, in an edgy district of Sukma, about 480 km south of Raipur, has been roiled by the massive protest for nearly a month against the setting up of the camp. 

    The district administration and the Bastar Police could not do much to quell the protests. 

    Since the protest site was located in a Maoist stronghold, the state government and the Bastar police administration believed that the rebels had instigated the local adivasi population to agitate against the camp.  Thousands of residents from more than two dozen villages took part in the protests held since May 13. They blocked the main pathway leading to Silger. 

    However, the government stayed firm, saying the camp cannot be shifted. With the tribals alleging high-handedness on the part of security forces and that their land was forcibly taken away to set up the camp, the human rights activists stepped up their campaign.

    The Bastar Police countered saying the land on which the camp was set up was encroached by the local villagers. “We told the chief minister during our meeting that the issue should be resolved democratically. There have been issues of fake encounters, controversial action by the district reserve guards (DRG – raised from local tribal youths and surrendered Maoists),” said Bela Bhatia, a human rights activist.

  • Chhattisgarh government firm on paramilitary camps in Bastar despite protests by tribals

    Express News Service
    RAIPUR: Amid continuing protests by tribal communities against the setting up of a paramilitary camp in south Bastar, the Chhattisgarh state government has adopted a tough stance, saying not one, but six more camps are to come up in the region.

    Thousands of residents from 20 villages have been demonstrating against a CRPF camp in Silger, located along the border with two of the state’s worst Maoist-affected districts of Sukma and Bijapur, for the past 17 days. The camp was set up in Silger on May 12. 

    The state government has categorically said that under no circumstances would the Silger camp be shifted or abandoned. The government has called the protesters’ demand “unjustified”. “The government is going to establish six more camps in the same region,” said Ravindra Choubey, senior cabinet minister and the government spokesperson.

    Officials say the camps will bring more security to the region and help facilitate its development. However, villagers say the new camp will bring in more forces, which, they fear, will lead to atrocities being committed against them. 

    The villagers also claimed they are fighting for their rights over ‘jal, jungle and jameen’ (water, forest and land) that “belong to them”. “We will continue our peaceful protest till the camp is removed from here,” the villagers said.

    The Bastar Police have blamed the Maoists for instigating tribal communities to oppose the camp. “It’s a known fact who all are protesting and why at Silger,” said Choubey.  The Bastar police meanwhile are also gathering intelligence inputs about the protesters.

    The Bastar administration and the police have repeatedly tried to convince the agitators to stop protesting and return to their villages, fearing such big gatherings could spark a rise in COVID cases.

  • Tribals’ protest against security camp in Chhattisgarh enters 17th day, efforts by police go in vain

    Express News Service
    RAIPUR: Silger, a tribal habitat located along the border of two worst Maoist-affected districts of Sukma and Bijapur, about 450 km south of Raipur, persistently witnesses a strong protest by thousands of local villagers against the security base camp, which was set up on May 12.

    While the villagers apparently continue to nurture trust deficit with the police force alleging such camps will further add to the atrocities they face by the deployed security personnel in the conflict zone, the Bastar police however blamed the Maoists to have instigated the innocent tribals to oppose the camp.

    The villagers also claimed to be fighting for their rights over ‘jal-jungle-jameen’ (water-forest-land) that they candidly cited belonged to them. “We will continue our peaceful protest till the camp is removed from here,” the villagers contended.

    The Bastar administration and the police have repeatedly tried to convince the agitating tribals to withdraw the protest and return to their villages. “Our fear is with such huge gathering there arises a bigger risk for these villagers likely to turn into super spreaders in their hamlets amid pandemic,” said IG (Bastar zone) P Sunderraj. 

    However the tribal villagers refused to budge and even claimed that they were not taken into confidence before setting up the camp.

    The locals are claiming that the camp has been built on the land owned by some villagers, though an official clarification countered that given area was actually encroached in the past by the locals but still they will be compensated with the similar land at some other place.

    The human rights activist Bela Bhatia who visited the area couple of days ago insisted that all major projects causing any dispute with villagers should be put on hold during the pandemic. “The peaceful protest of the tribals should be taken into account,” she said.

    On Saturday, a 6-member fact-finding team of opposition BJP on their way to Silger had to return owing to the security reasons.

    Silger and adjoining areas happen to be in the Maoist stronghold and the rebels might never wish to let the region go under the influence of the state administration, opined Brigadier (Rtd) BK Ponwar, a jungle warfare expert.

    The police though have plans to set up more camps further inside the same area to strengthen their hold.

    However the tribals from over a dozen nearby villages expressed their objection through their sit-in demonstration at Silger. Later the protest turned violent leading to direct confrontation with the forces on May 17 when the police firing killed 3 and injured 18 others.

    “We have already spoken to a 40-member team representing the tribal villagers appealing them to restore peace and return owing to the risk of coronavirus infections. The camps are meant to ensure security in the region and foster development. Maoists are on the backfoot and frightened  with more camps coming up. Any decision on the camp is to be taken at the government level,” the Bastar IG said.