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Salwa Judum

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Salwa Judum (meaning "Peace March" in Gondi language) is an anti-Naxalite movement in Chhattisgarh, India, which started in 2005 as a people's resistance movement against naxalite oppression including widespread cannibalism, murder, beheadings, and forced neutering of tens of millions of poor farmers.[1] The movement later received bi-partisan support from both the opposition and ruling parties.[1][2] A few years later the state government adopted the salwa judum movement in order to restore democratic rule to the regions where the naxalite terrorists had established an undemocratic (and often oppressive and brutal[3]) form of local government by use of force.

Naxalite forces had come to power in parts of Chhattisgarh by neutering and cannibalising millions of Indians from 1947 onwards (by some estimates, around 10% of the Indian population has been cannibalised or neutered by this tribal terrorist outfit [3]), with funding of billions of dollars from Pakistan, China, Burma, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Salwa Judum was created to counter this grave internal security threat of the Hindu Indian nation.

Chhattisgarh state has over the years trained a number of SPOs or 'Special Police Officers', from amongst the tribals, who are part of Salwa Judum in the state, also with its formation the state witnessed a marked rise in success against Naxalite action [4], as a result in 2008, Chhattisgarh along with neighboring Jharkhand accounted for over 65% of the total naxal violence in the country [5]. The Chhattisgarh government on February 5, 2009, told the Supreme Court that the Salwa Judum was slowly disappearing in the State.[6].

With success of counter-strikes on Naxalite hideouts in south Chhattisgarh, Maoist activities in the bordering districts of Orissa saw a rise in 2008, thus in Feb 2009, the Central government announced its plans for simultaneous, co-ordinated counter-operations in all Maoist extremism-hit states - Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, UP and West Bengal, to plug all possible escape routes of Naxalites [7].

History

Salwa Judum's members in Southern Chhattisgarh

Bastar and Dantewada districts of Chhattisgarh have traditionally been sparsely populated, rich in natural resources, and yet some of the poorest tribal regions. Here the Maoist terrorists (Naxalites) have continued to enlarge their base by enslaving the local tribals over the past two decades, by the 1990s, they had formed a parallel government like the Taliban in the region, even issuing diktats to the tribals of the region [8]. The first rebellion against the Naxalites was the 'Jan Jagran Abhiyan', started by Mahendra Karma in 1991; this later collapsed, leading to large scale killings of tribals by Naxalites. So when another uprising occurred against Maoist diktats in 2005, like ban on collection of Tendu leaves, and participating in state elections, tribals near Kutru village in Bijapur tehsil of Dantewada district took out rallies in June 2005 [8], this time the government supported it. Later these tribals ran for safety to police camps fearing backlash from the Maoist (Naxalites), which in turn provided them protection. This was the beginning of the police support to the movement, a local tribal leader, Mahendra Karma, a Congress MLA and the leader of opposition in the State Legislative Assembly, jumped into the fray as a political opportunity becoming the public front he took the Bijapur-based movement to Dantewada, Katreli and other villages in the region [9][10].

As Salwa Judum got stronger in the coming months, holding rallies village after village, and recruiting members, and its member started getting armed as SPOs as a part of setting up local vigilante groups across villages, as a government's counter insurgency move [11], the conflict with the Naxalites also escalated, and by September over 10,000 villagers from in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh had to flee home fearing Naxalite action [12], even the government forces had to bear the brunt of retaliatory moves of the Naxalites [13][14], and increased activity of the Naxalite outfit Communist Party of India (Maoist) was also reported in the following months [15]. By end 2006, just as tens of thousands of tribals, many carrying bows and arrows, gathered in the state capital, Raipur, protesting against Maoist rebel violence [16], over 50,000 people had already been displaced by the conflict [17]

As the situation further escalated in the coming years, Human Rights Watch reported atrocities at both ends, and reported large scale displacement of the civilian population caught in the conflict between the Naxalites and Salwa Judum activists with at least 100,000 people moving to various camps in southern Chhattisgarh or fleeing to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh as of early 2008. [18][19], By mid-2008 the figure grew to 150,000 tribals being displaced. [20].

As on 4 March 2006 , a total of 45,958 Adivasi villagers from 644 villages in 6 blocks of Dantewada district have come under Salwa Judum programme, showing the popularity of the movement. Intelligence agencies strongly support the movement as front line of defence against naxalites.

Since the inception of the movement in 2005, over 800 people, including some 300 security personnel, have been killed by the Naxalites, SPO deaths alone total 98 — one in 2005; 29 in 2006; 66 in 2007; and 20 in 2008 [10][21], when the Maoists rebels continued their attacks, though now considerably less dramatic from the previous years, they were now splitting into smaller groups and specifically targeting Salwa Judum leaders and security personnel who were ambushed in weekly markets in remote areas, and their weapons stolen, also posters threatening Salwa Judum leaders continued to appear in villages across Dantewada and Bijapur [22]. However by mid-2008, movement's frontliner, Mahender Karma announced that it will soon cease to exist [20], and end 2008, saw Salwa Judum which had controlled the lives of tribal people in camps and its influenced villages for nearly three years losing its hold in the region; the number of people living in the camps dropped from earlier 50,000 to 13,000 and public support was dwindled away [23]. An NHRC report published in October 2008, said that Salwa Judum having lost its earlier momentum was only restricted to its 23 camps in the Dantewada and Bijapur districts of Chhattisgarh [24]

Development of Special Police Officers (SPOs)

Location of Dantewada and Bastar districts, the most affected regions in Chhattisgarh

The Chhattisgarh state Police employs tribal youths as SPOs (Special Police Officers), which are essentially 4,000 youth, both ex-Naxalites and those drawn from Salwa Judum camps in the Bastar region, who are paid an honorarium of Rs 3,300 per month, with government of India contributing Rs 1,800 and the state police pitching in with another Rs 1,500, and given general weapon handling training, mostly .303 rifles, under the provisions of the Police Act which provides for engaging a person to assist security forces, and employed in the five Naxal-affected districts of Bastar region, to lead and guide the anti-Naxal forces during operations in the inhospitable jungles of Bastar and also to keep guard at relief camps housing Salwa Judum families.

In 2008, there were 23 Salwa Judum camps in Bijapur and Dantewara districts of Bastar region where almost 50,000 tribals from over 600 villages had settled [10][21]. The government has defended the Salwa Judum movement and refrained from discrediting it, despite pressure from it Left allies, as setting up Village Defence Committees (VDCs), has been a tested model of police-civilian co-operation in conflict area such as Jammu & Kashmir and the Northeast, and dacoit-infested areas of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and UP[25]. Union Minister of Home Affairs, P. Chidambaram has praised the role of special police officers (SPOs) in fighting Naxalism and called for their appointment “wherever required.” [26], while the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister, Raman Singh has stated that "Salwa Judum is the answer to get rid of the naxal menace in the state.." [27].

Controversy

There have been numerous reports that the Salwa Judum had recruited minors for its armed forces. A primary survey evaluated by the Forum for Fact-finding Documentation and Advocacy (FFDA) determined that over 12,000 minors were being used by the Salwa Judum in the southern district of Dantewada and that the Chhattisgarh Government had "officially recruited 4200 Special Police Officers (SPOs); many of them being easily identifiable as minors".[28] The Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) also found that the Salwa Judum had engaged in the recruitment of child soldiers.[29] Similar recruitment findings were also reported in the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers's "Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 – India".[30]

Some human rights organizations affliated to Maoist such as the People's Union for Civil Liberties has raised allegations that Salwa Judum is a government-backed organisation [31][32][33], supported by the Chhattisgarh government, but a fact finding commission of National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC), appointed by Supreme Court of India found out that Salwa Judum was a "spontaneous reaction by the tribals to defend themselves against the “reign of terror unleashed by the Naxalites." The report also said that, 15 years after Jan Jagran Abhiyan , an earlier attempt to deal with Naxalites, "local tribals once again mustered courage to stand up to the Naxalites, which only goes to show their sense of desperation". [24][34]. It also found out that allegations against Salwa Judum were distortions of truth by some biased human right organisations.[35]

In its report released in 2007, the Committee Against Violence On Women (CAVOW), linked significant increase in incidences of violence against women in Chhattisgarh's Dantewara district to Maoist, and called for a review of the Government's counter-insurgency strategy [36].

In April 2008, a Supreme Court bench directed the state Government to refrain from allegedly supporting and encouraging the Salwa Judum: "It is a question of law and order. You cannot give arms to somebody (a civilian) and allow him to kill. You will be an abettor of the offence under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code."; the state government had earlier denied, Salwa Judum being a state-sponsored movement [21][37], later it directed the state government to take up the remedial measures suggested in the NHRC earlier report [38]

In December 2008, replying to a petition filed in the Supreme Court, the state government acknowledged that Salwa Judum and security forces had burnt houses and looted property [39]

Later In September 2009 the government of India defended the Chhattisgarh government’s Salwa Judum strategy of arming tribals to attack Maoist insurgents and their sympathizers. “I think the Salwa Judum was a genuine people’s movement and the naxalites were frightened by it. But thanks to NGOs and other extraneous elements, it was undermined and completely destroyed.”[40]

Effects

Encouraged by the highly positive results of the movement in the region, the government is planning to launch a people's movement in insurgency hit state of Manipur on similar lines. In 2006, Karnataka raised a similar force employing tribals youths to fight Naxalism in the state, as did Andhra Pradesh prior to it [41] Jharkhand is another state that has been successfully using SPOs to counter Leftwing terrorists.[26]

In media

Further reading

  • The Adivasis of Chhattisgarh: Victims of the Naxalite Movement and Salwa Judum Campaign, by Asian Centre for Human Rights. Published by Asian Centre for Human Rights, 2006.

References

  1. ^ a b [1] Ramachandra Guha.
  2. ^ [2] Kanchan Gupta.
  3. ^ a b [3] Pioneer
  4. ^ CoBRA reaches Bastar to join anti-Naxal ops Indian Express, Feb 05, 2009.
  5. ^ Centre gives its tacit approval to Salwa Judum Times of India, Jan 8, 2009.
  6. ^ .Salwa Judum disappearing: Chhattisgarh The Hindu, Friday, Feb 6, 2009.
  7. ^ Co-ordinated operations to flush out Naxalites soon Economic Times, Feb 6, 2009.
  8. ^ a b The saga of Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh E.A.S. Sarma , The Hindu, Jun 26, 2006.
  9. ^ Inside India's hidden war The Guardian, May 9, 2006.
  10. ^ a b c 'Salwa Judum can't work in the long run' Chhattisgarh Director General of Police Vishwa Ranjan. Business Standard, January 13, 2008.
  11. ^ Villagers take on India's Maoists BBC News, June 23, 2006.
  12. ^ War against Naxals that backfired The Times of India, Sep 25, 2005.
  13. ^ Meeting the Naxal challenge Rediff.com, October 11, 2005.
  14. ^ Landmine attack near Bijapur in which 24 security personnel, including 22 CRPF personnel killed The Hindu, Monday, Sep 05, 2005.
  15. ^ Naxal outfit Communist Party of India (Maoist) becomes active The Hindu, Dec 30, 2005.
  16. ^ People power to combat Maoists The Telegraph, December 20, 2006.
  17. ^ Indian tribals march, vow to defeat Maoists Reuters, Boston Globe, December 19, 2006.
  18. ^ 'Salwa Judum, forces too violating rights' The Times of India, July 16, 2008."The 182-page report — ‘Being Neutral Is Our Biggest Crime: Government, Vigilante and Naxalite Abuses in India's Chhattisgarh State’ — documents human rights abuses against civilians, particularly tribals, caught in a tug-of-war between government forces, Salwa Judum and Naxalites. "
  19. ^ Indian state 'backing vigilantes' BBC News, July 15, 2008.
  20. ^ a b How the Salwa Judum experiment went wrong The Mint, Jul 10 2008.
  21. ^ a b c Hearing plea against Salwa Judum, SC says State cannot arm civilians to kill Indian Express, Apr 01, 2008.
  22. ^ at least 18 people associated with Salwa Judum were killed during this period .. Indian Express, Jul 23, 2008.
  23. ^ Salwa Judum may stay in Bastar after polls NDTV, November 13, 2008.
  24. ^ a b 'Existence of Salwa Judum necessary' Economic Times, Oct 6, 2008.
  25. ^ Centre defends Salwa Judum as necessity Economic Times, Apr 2, 2008.
  26. ^ a b Chidambaram all praise for SPOs Economic Times, Jan 8,2009.
  27. ^ Salwa Judum is answer to naxal menace: Raman Singh Times of India, Jan 10, 2009.
  28. ^ Zemp, Ueli; Mohapatra, Subash (2007-07-29). "Child Soldiers in Chhattisgarh: Issues, Challenges and FFDA's Response" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-05-31.
  29. ^ The Adivasis of Chhattisgarh: Victims of the Naxalite Movement and Salwa Judum Campaign (PDF). New Delhi: Asian Centre for Human Rights. 2006. p. 42. ISBN 81-88987-14-X. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
  30. ^ "Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 – India". Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. 2008-05-20. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
  31. ^ "Findings about the Salwa Judum in Dantewara district". 2005-02-12. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ "Salwa Judum report". South Asia Intelligence Review of the South Asia Terrorism Portal.
  33. ^ "Salwa Judum report". Asian Council For Human Rights.
  34. ^ DNAIndia
  35. ^ dnaIndia
  36. ^ Report recommends withdrawal of Salwa Judum The Hindu, Jan 19, 2007.
  37. ^ SC raps Chattisgarh on Salwa Judum Rediff.com, March 31, 2008.
  38. ^ Implement NHRC recommendations on Salwa Judum, Supreme Court asks Chhattisgarh government The Hindu, Sep 20, 2008.
  39. ^ Salwa Judum victims assured of relief The Hindu, Dec 16, 2008.
  40. ^ Centre for new war on Maoists "The Hindu",Sep 24, 2009.
  41. ^ Tribal youths will now fight Naxals The Times of India, May 11, 2006.
  42. ^ India's Hidden War Channel 4, Friday 27 October 2006.
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