Soni Sori gets bail in one more case

Suvojit Bagchi

There are close to 2,000 cases in which tribal people have been languishing in jail since two to seven years. Tribal schoolteacher Soni Sori has been granted bail by a court in one of the eight cases filed against her.

Tribal schoolteacher Soni Sori has been granted bail by a court in south Chhattisgarh in one of the eight cases filed against her.

She has already been acquitted in six cases, her lawyer K.K. Dubey told The Hindu.

A charge sheet was filed against Ms. Sori and others in December 2010 at the Bacheli court for allegedly torching vehicles in Nerli, near Dantewada.

Recently, she was awarded bail in the case.

“She could not be acquitted like in other cases as the witnesses did not appear,” said Mr. Dubey.

Earlier this month, Ms. Sori and her relative, activist-journalist Lingaram Kodopi, were acquitted in the Avdesh Gautam case.

They were accused of planning and executing an attack on a local Congress leader and contractor Avdesh Gautam in which two persons were killed. Thirteen other co-accused, including Congress leader Vijay Sodi, CPI leader Lala Ram Kunjam and a panchayat member of Dantewada, Sannuram Mandawi, were also acquitted and released for want of evidence by a Dantewada court.

The only case pending against Ms. Sori and Mr. Kodopi is the controversial Essar Steel case. They have been accused of arranging “protection money” on behalf of the company to Maoists. The main accused, D.V.C.S Verma, general manager at an Essar steel plant, and B.K. Lala, Essar contractor, were arrested for allegedly disbursing the money.

While Ms. Sori and Mr. Kodopi are in jail, like thousands of undertrial tribal people of south Chhattisgarh, Mr. Verma and Mr. Lala had been granted bail.

The charge sheet has been presented to Dantewada district and sessions judge Anita Dehariya. Charges will be framed by the court sometime in June.

“I hope after this bail and previous acquittal it will not be a problem to get a speedy trial and hopefully acquittal in all cases,” said Mr. Dubey.

While Ms. Sori and Mr. Kodopi’s cases were defended by a team of lawyers and monitored by the press, national and international rights groups, there are close to 2,000 cases in which tribal people have been languishing in jail since two to seven years.

“I once tried to put the number of cases together and it was over 600 only in the Dantewada court. It must have crossed 800 now,” said senior advocate Ashok Jain. Majority of these tribal people do not speak any other language than Gondi, have little or no money to pay a fee, have no national or international rights group to defend their cases and have been booked for allegedly participating in Naxal activities.

In private conversation, top bureaucrats, politicians and lawyers acknowledge that a majority of these cases do not merit a trial in higher courts. “This is a tragedy for a democracy,” said Mr. Jain.

In an interview to The Hindu earlier this week, Chief Minister Raman Singh acknowledged that a “huge number of cases” were pending in various district courts.

50% kids malnourished: Study

PREETAM B. CHOUDHURY-Kokrajhar, May 30: Fifty per cent of children in four districts — Chirang, Darrang, Dibrugarh, Sonitpur — in Assam were found to be malnourished.

The study was conducted by Ant, a Chirang-based NGO, along with Prastuti, Rural Development Organisation, Mahila Shakti Kendra, Manab Kalyan and Bodoland Life Establishment Society.

It observed 285 young women, of whom 38.6 per cent were found to have a body mass index of less than 18.5 while 54 per cent Adivasi women fell in this category.

WHO terms 20-39 per cent prevalence as serious malnutrition while above 40 per cent is considered critical.

The study looks at the status of malnutrition in rural areas, among children between two and five years of age and in women.

According to the study conducted on 1,376 children, chronic malnutrition was found to be very high.

While more than 50 per cent of children in the study were found to be stunted according to WHO standards, around 35 per cent of all children were found to be underweight.

Dr Sunil Kaul, founder of Ant, said, “These are considered to be markers of chronic or long-term malnutrition. As the situation is so widespread, it has almost obtained cultural acceptability, and hence, it is that much more difficult to correct.”

The malnutrition indicators were almost three to four times worse in children belonging to Adivasi and Bengali-Muslim families compared to other communities, he said.

Dr Vandana Joshi, Unicef nutrition specialist, said malnutrition goes unnoticed.

“If it is more than 10 per cent then it is a public health emergency. If mother takes the initiative of early and exclusive breast-feeding then 50 per cent of malnutrition can be cured. Any mother can do so. We have the scope to unlock this enigma and more importance should be given to children below two years,” she said.

Dr Monica Banerjee of National Foundation for India asked everyone to see this research as the beginning.

She hoped that the study would create an environment so that the government, social welfare department and NGOs can work together on this issue.

Culture overshadowed by the Conflict in ‘Red Corridor’

By Devlal Nareti, Raipur, May 28 : A peaceful battle is being fought in Chhattisgarh, in the Indian heartland notorious for violent clashes between the Naxalites and the State. But this struggle, owned by neither of these two groups, is not a new one. And yet it remains virtually invisible, shadowed by the gravity of the notorious ‘Red Corridor’ that has been the malaise of many Indian states for years now.

The onus of this silent battle has been borne solely by the tribal communities of the region, and the wealth being fought for is their ancient culture. What drives this unlikely band of warriors is the fervent hope that they can draw attention back to their urgent socio-cultural concerns, woefully forgotten in the intense clashes in this Naxal-affected region.

Transpiring two hundred and forty kilometers from the state capital Raipur in Damkasa village near Durgkondal block in Kanker District, one such initiative is being led by a seventy-year old retired teacher, Shiv Singh Anchla, who has dedicated his post-retirement life to the conservation and promotion of the Gondi language and culture.

Blessed with abundant natural resources, the ethnically-rich state of Chhattisgarh is inhabited by a diverse group of tribal communities, with the Gond community, which Anchla belongs to, dominating in numbers. In the richly-forested hills of the Bastar region insouth Chhattisgarh, the Gonds have been significantly known for their culture and social mores.. In recent years, though, the vibrant colors of this rich civilization have been fading away, failing to catch the attention of the State from its other “important” pursuits.

The Gond community, like other adivasi communities, is woven into a symbiotic relationship with the environment. They worship Nature that, in turn, helps these indigenous communities sustain their socio-economic and cultural lives. Their care and concern for their natural heritage is well reflected in their customs wherein every single community is entrusted with protecting one of the rare trees and animals and no one is allowed to harm them at any cost.

If someone harms that animal or tree, he is bound to be punished by the community. This way, the balance between man and his environment is maintained. The advent of external factors has weakened the sanctity of such practices. Anchla understands that, to save their heritage, be it natural or cultural, tribal communities moving ahead towards development have to come together and protect their ancestral anchor.

“Adivasis have always been environment-friendly because they believe that the trees, stones and forests are their God. Alarmingly, in the last few years, trees are being cut ruthlessly, indicating that Adivasis are forgetting the importance of their life-giving forests,” shares a visibly worried Anchla, who is working hard on various levels to realize his dream.

To restore respect for Mother Nature, Anchla has established ‘Jango Raitaar Vidya Ketul’ after the name of a local deity Jango Raitaar, revered as the Goddess of language of the Gond tribe. Set in five acres of land donated by Anchla himself, this nature park is home to rare herbs, plants and trees which otherwise are likely to become extinct with few even recognizing the loss.

Anchla is also planning to establish an ‘International Divya Gyan Research Institute and Gyan Mani Shiksha Dweep Vilakshan Vidyalaya’ and sees it as a step forward towards preserving the environment. This institute will train people who share the common interest of exploring the history of local adivasi culture, their deities and their unique relationship with forests.

This visibly-determined old man sensed the looming threat during his teaching days and began to share with his students the intricacies of their natural as well as cultural heritage to ensure that the next generation takes responsibility for the cultural wealth they have inherited from their forefathers.

Anchla has never opposed the merits of a contemporary education. In fact, he believes that every form of education that develops or increases the knowledge of mankind should be promoted. He maintains that this should not, however be at the cost of sacrificing their own traditional culture.

Anchla created a generation of students that grew up to become the mirror of tribal society and culture. Besides academic knowledge, he imparted cultural and moral education to his students. Today, many of his students are in public service, an achievement that has given this tribal community much to be proud of. Anchla, whose only goal in life is to bring back vitality to the lost culture of his society, finds it difficult to imagine his state without the identity of Gond culture and language. To save the traditional Ghotul practices, spoken language and their festivals, he organized a Rath Yatra in November last year to make people aware of their culture and join hands for its preservation.

Leading a humble life and preferring a low profile, Anchla is also the religious head of the Gond tribe in the state of Chhattisgarh. Besides, he is a skilled medical practitioner (vaid) and successfully treats many ailments using natural herbs. In his Ashram, one could find various rare species of vegetation. Often, people prefer coming to him than the local State-run sub-healthcare center, drawn by their faith in natural therapy, significantly cheaper and more effective.

According to Shams Tamanna, Hindi Editor of Charkha Development Communication Network, “In this age, when his peers wish to spend a restful post retirement life, this wise man has chosen the road less travelled. His love and desire to work for the community is unmatchable. Instead of calling him an old man, I would rather call him a 70 year-young man.” Anchla, who is proactive in helping people recognize their goals, prefers to continue in his efforts, unfazed by the difficult conditions caused by the conflict between the Naxalites and the State. May his tribe grow! CortesyANI

Mahendra Karma used Adivasis to destroy other Adivasis

Jyoti Punwani–An attack on the idea of India, on democratic values — that’s how the Naxalite attack that killed Congress leaders Mahendra Karma and Nand Kumar Patel has been described by our leaders. For millions of Indians, including this columnist, the idea of India is most definitely not Mahendra Karma. Nor would any democrat link the dead man to any kind of democratic value.

For us in Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, the happenings in remote Bastar are of little interest. Who cares if Adivasis live or die — their lives are so peripheral to us. Our own lives are so tension-filled, it’s difficult to relate to people living in the jungles, aeons away from us in time and distance.

But Mahendra Karma was an Adivasi we could relate to. He was not only totally clued in to our world, he was ahead of it. He knew his homeland could become the resource zone for the country’s biggest industries, and the rewards that would bring him and other landowners like him. He also knew that for the majority of his people, this development would mean nothing but ruin. For him, their role was clear — “Instead of tractors, use the Adivasis for land levelling,’’ he had once said.

Fortunately for them, the majority of Adivasis knew what their fate would be too, once the companies moved in. And they weren’t going to their ruin without a fight. That is why Karma set up his own vigilante force. These too were his own people, only, they were armed and motivated to train their guns on their fellow Adivasis. Anyone who resisted being evicted from their lands, became an enemy, to be forced into submission or eliminated. This was Salwa Judum, the “purification hunt”’. Under this hunt, for the first time, rape by Adivasis made an appearance in Bastar.

Adivasis across India are used to being raped — by outsiders in the coal fields of Dhanbad; by upper caste landlords in Andhra Pradesh; by forest guards in Bastar, and by the police everywhere. Now, under Karma’s strategy, for the first time, Adivasi raped Adivasi. Karma’s initiative was immediately backed by the BJP government of Chhattisgarh, which armed his Adivasi boys, many of them just teenagers, made them ‘Special Police Officers’ (SPOs), and gave them both impunity and incentive to fight the Naxalites who were leading the resistance against Adivasi lands being taken away. Rape was as much part of the fight as was killing, forced eviction, burning of villages and herding of villagers into camps away from their villages.

According to a Planning Commission document, 644 villages were emptied out, and a state government document said 47,238 Adivasis were herded into camps. A limited investigation by the National Human Rights Commission confirmed rape and other crimes committed by the SPOs against unarmed Adivasis.

The logical extension of the “purification hunt’’ was ‘Operation Greenhunt’, launched by the central government in 2009. Now both categories of armed men — the SPOs of the state-backed Salwa Judum, and the CRPF of the Centre — hunted villages looking for Naxalites.

In one such raid, these forces cut off three fingers of a one-year-old Adivasi. Rape, killings, and destruction of houses and foodgrain were, of course, a given. These form the subject matter of police complaints as well as Supreme Court petitions.

Such a man was Mahendra Karma and such was his legacy.

The author is a Mumbai-based freelance journalist.

गरीबी से नहीं, असमानता से उपजता है नक्सलवाद

भरत झुनझुनवाला —छत्तीसगढ़ की नक्सलवादी घटना से हमें यह समझ लेना चाहिए कि देश की समस्यागरीबी की नहीं बल्कि असमानता की है। नक्सली ‘गरीब‘ नहीं हैं। उन्हें आक्रोशहै कि शहरों में बसे चुनिंदा नेता, अफसर और उद्यमी उनके संसाधनों को लूटरहे हैं। देश का विकास हो रहा होगा किंतु उनकी दृष्टि अपने सामान्य जीवन औरशहरी अय्याशी के बीच बढ़ती खाई पर है। समस्या को नक्सलियों के दमन से नहींबल्कि अमीरी के दमन से सुलझाना होगा। यह समस्या मुद्राकोष और विश्व बैंकद्वारा लागू मॉडल में निहित है। यह मॉडल अमीर और आम आदमी में फासला बढ़ाताहै। ऑक्सफैम के एक अध्ययन के अनुसार विश्व के 100 अमीर व्यक्तियों कीसंपत्ति में गत वर्ष लगभग 13 हजार करोड़ रुपये की वृद्धि हुई। इस रकम कोयदि दुनिया के सौ करोड़ गरीबों में वितरित कर दिया जाए तो प्रत्येक गरीबव्यक्ति को 13,200 रुपये मिल सकते हैं जो कि उनकी मूल जीविका साधने के लियेपर्याप्त होगा।

सिटिजन और स्लेव

दुनिया के सौ करोड़ गरीब और 100 अमीर एक ही सिक्के के दो पहलू हैं।तात्पर्य यह कि एक सीमा तक असमानता समाज के लिए हितकारी होती है। सीमा पारकरने के बाद वही असमानता समाज के लिये अभिशाप बन जाती है। समानता परकआदिवासी समाज को लें। यह समाज बंदूक नहीं बना पाता। बंदूक बनाने के लियेलुहार, इंजीनियर, केमिस्ट आदि अलग-अलग पेशे के लोगों की आवश्यकता होती है।इन्हें ट्रेनिंग देने में असमानता उत्पन्न हो जाती है। बिना असमानता केबंदूक बनाना कठिन होता है। लेकिन इसका परिणाम यह निकलता है कि बंदूकधारी केसामने आदिवासी समाज पस्त हो जाता है। अमेरिका में रेड इंडियन समाज केध्वस्त होने का यही सबक है। दूसरी ओर बढ़ती असमानता समाज को अस्थिर भी बनादेती है। पुरातन यूनान ने असमानता को स्वीकार किया। सिटिजन और स्लेव के बीचसमाज बंटा हुआ था। लेकिन समृद्धि का वह समाज सुवितरण नहीं कर सका।परिणामस्वरूप यूनान के आम आदमी में असंतोष व्याप्त हो गया। जब बर्बरों नेआक्रमण किया तो आम जनता ने बर्बरों का साथ दिया और यूनानी साम्राज्यनेस्तनाबूद हो गया।

पतन की आशंका

स्पष्ट है कि समानता तथा असमानता दोनों ही कामयाब नहीं है। इन दोनों छोरोंके बीच कहीं असमानता का सही स्तर रहता है। यह स्तर तकनीकी विकास के साथबढ़ता जाता है। जैसे नुक्कड़ की दुकान और वालमार्ट की तुलना करें। नुक्कड़की दुकान का मालिक यदि माह में 50 हजार कमाता है तो नौकर पांच हजार।असमानता 10 गुनी रही। लेकिन वालमार्ट की आय उसके किसी सामान्य कर्मचारी से 10 लाख गुनी अधिक है। कारण कि वालमार्ट के मालिक को आय संपूर्ण विश्व सेमिलती है। इसके विपरीत कर्मचारी को संपूर्ण विश्व के श्रमिकों सेप्रतिस्पर्धा करनी पड़ती है और उसका प्रभावी वेतन घटता जाता है। जरूरी नहींकि बाहरी आक्रमण से ही हमारा पतन हो। आंतरिक विरोध से भी हमारा पतन होसकता है जैसा कि आज पाकिस्तान और कुछ अफ्रीकी देशों में देखा जा सकता है।आज हमारा आम आदमी असंतुष्ट है। एक ओर नेता, सरकारी कर्मी और शीर्ष उद्यमीअरबों रुपये कमा रहे हैं और अति उच्च जीवन स्तर भोग रहे हैं, दूसरी ओर आमआदमी को दो टाइम की रोटी और टेबलफैन ही उपलब्ध है।

 

CPI(ML): do not unleash greater repression on Bastar people

While militaristic actions of Maoists in Chhattisgarh cannot be justified, the State government and the Centre should not use such incidents as an excuse to oppress tribal people, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) has said.

“The CPI(ML) holds that militaristic actions by Maoists, isolated from democratic movements and political assertion, cannot be justified by the logic of retribution, and are counterproductive in developing any mass resistance to the government’s policies of corporate plunder and Operation Green Hunt,” a statement by party general secretary Deepankar Bhattacharya said.

The governments must not allow the attack on Congress leaders on Saturday used as a pretext to unleash greater repression on the people of Bastar. Instead, Operation Green Hunt must be scrapped immediately, former Salwa Judum SPOs in the police withdrawn and criminal action initiated against all those, including police personnel and Salwa Judum cadre, who were accused of rape and killing, it said.

The CPI(ML) blamed the “unconstitutional and anti-democratic policies” of the State and Centre for the spiral of violence. Both were united in backing Salwa Judum, formed by Congress leader Mahendra Karma, “which armed civilians and unleashed massacres, rape, and mass eviction of adivasis.” Salwa Judum had continued by the backdoor, in spite of the Supreme Court order declaring it unconstitutional and ordering that it be disbanded. Police personnel accused of raping adivasis, including Soni Sori, had even received gallantry awards, the statement said.

A week ago eight adivasis, including three children, were killed in a firing by the Central Reserve Police Force. The incident was first projected as an encounter and later admitted to be “a massacre of innocents,” the CPI(ML) noted.Courtesy:TheHindu.

A tribal doctor dedicated to serving patients

KOZHIKODE-The first tribal doctor from Wayanad Dr M K Appunni is all set to step down  after 27 long years of dedicated service in healthcare sector on May 31. His commendable service has won him appreciation from his superiors, colleagues, patients and the public. His passion to help people, learn new methodologies, spend time and energy for the healthcare of patients, great intelligence, integrity, competence and social skills make him unique of his kind.

After completing MBBS from Kozhikode Medical College in 1987, he was posted at a hospital in Wayanad. Thereafter, he has worked in many hospitals, ESI, PHCs, mental health centres, medical college, in health service and is now retiring from service as Additional District Medical Officer of Deputy Director rank.

Born and brought up at Thrissileri, a remote village, he was not even in a position to dream to become a doctor. His parents were working as slaves of a landlord.

It was a situation where his sister was affected by cholera and the struggle he took to save her, which encouraged him to take up the profession of a doctor. He walked 14 kilometres by carrying her on his shoulders to reach a hospital though the forest. He reached the hospital only to hear that the doctor is on leave and had to move to some other hospital. Luckily he got her back after hours long fight.

As a tribute to his committed service, people of Poovattuparamba has honoured him with the Popular Doctor Award. “I am highly satisfied with my service. Retirement is not an end; still I can serve people. The one thing I can proudly say is my hands are not blackened of corruption. It was not money, but the satisfaction I got when I saw the satisfaction on the faces of my patients that moved me forward,” he said.

When asked him what was the most precious moment in his life, he said, “A couple of months ago, a bedridden patient after consulting me, got cured even without much treatment. From that incident, I realised that more than medicines, generous approach to a patient matters a lot. I consider that as a precious moment in my life.”

While retiring he has only one message to pass. “All government employees should consider themselves as the servants of public, not the boss. Be sincere and honest to your duty. It is the only thing you can give back in return for the gift of your life.”

30 years of slavery ends as officials rescue 48 Irulas

 PUDUKKOTTAI -A total of 48 bonded labourers belonging to the tribal ‘Irula’ community were rescued by revenue officials here on Saturday, following a complaint lodged by the Adivasi Solidarity Council.

According to sources, a team of revenue officials led by C Muthumari, RDO of Pudukkottai, conducted surprise raids at Keezhathur village near Alangudi, following on a complaint received from the Vellore District Adivasi Solidarity Council, about bonded labourers working in sugarcane fields near Alangudi.

The complaint said that a few members belonging to the Irular community were forced to work in sugarcane fields as bonded labourers, under the control of one Pandurangan for the past over 30 years.

Pandurangan sent them to various places as agricultural coolies, under a supervisor. They were paid only Rs 20 and a few kgs of rice as wages, besides Rs 4,000 – Rs 5,000 per year for their work.

Muthumari raided the sugarcane fields in Keezhathur village near Alangudi and found the bonded labourers. They were later rescued from the fields and taken to the government higher secondary school at Vadakadu, around 8.30 pm on Saturday, where revenue department officials interrogated them and collected various details about their work and situation.

Kanniyappan, State Co-ordinator, Adhivasi Solidarity Council, speaking to Express said all the rescued tribes were natives of Palliyanelur in Villupuram district. They were kept as bonded labourers by one Pandurangan of Villupuram, district for over 30 years. He used to send them to various places for agricultural work across the State under the watchful eyes of his representatives, who monitored their movement and work.

Pandurangan pretended to be a labour contractor, and collected their wages from employers directly, providing the former only a meagre amount as wages. Pandurangan managed to escape from the spot during the raid. The rescued labourers are expected to be sent back to their native place on Monday.

Did Salwa Judum’s anti-Naxalite movement only lead to more terror in Chhattisgarh?

Bastar: Deceased Congress leader Mahendra Karma was supposedly the main target of the Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh, which killed 28 people. He was the architect of the now disbanded anti-Naxalite vigilante movement, Salwa Judum. CNN-IBN’s Rupashree Nanda had travelled to Bastar in 2008 to unravel the realities of the controversial force. Here’s the story:

Named after the Gondi term for purification rites, the Salwa Judum comprised of local villagers and put on the frontline of the government’s war against the Maoists. The government insisted the Salwa Judum is a spontaneous and homegrown movement.

The architect of the Salwa Judum, Mahendra Karma, the Congress MLA from Dantewada in South Chhattisgarh, had refused to answer any questions about the vigilante group he helped create. Asked about how many people are in camps, he had said, “I don’t know, I am not an accountant. Why do you want to ask questions only about the Salwa Judum? Shut down your camera and get out of here.”

An anti-Naxalite board greets all visitors to the relief camp at Dornapal. Puran used to be a farmer, but for three years, he has not ploughed any land. Salwa Judum was the result of a cosy handshake between the BJP Chief Minister Raman Singh and the opposition Congress, when both parties agreed, for once, on the tactic to use tribal against tribal. Puran had then left his village, Gorgunda, certain that the Maoists would be defeated in a month or two. But the months have stretched into years. Puran had said he fears he can never go back. “There is no way I can go back. The threat from Maoists is too immense,” he had said.

Walking along the lanes of the Judum camp, one heard a common story. People left their houses thinking that the Maoists will go back. But if anything their presence only grew stronger. What were meant to be temporary structures acquired colours of permanence.

“They killed my brother for nothing. He had just gone back to the village to look at his house. Why was he killed? There is no way that I can go back,” said Special Police Officer, Dornapal Camp. Across Bastar, the stories remained the same about Salwa Judum: that counter terror only led to more terror and that it wasn’t the job of the tribals to fight the Maoists.Courtesy:IBNLiva

Tribal bodies hail Cabinet decision

Imphal, May 26 2013: The Poumai Naga Union (PNU) and Gangte Literature Society (GLS) while expressing gratitude to M Okendro Singh, Minister (Education and CAF&PD), lauded the State Cabinet for appending recognition to three tribal dialectsPoumai, Gangte, and Liangmai, thereby paving way for the introduction of textbooks in their dialects in the school till class VIII .

A statement issued by PNU president, Ng Lorho said that there are 119 schools in Poumai inhabited areas and the dialect “Poula” text books published by Poumai Literature Committee, are taught in schools on voluntary basis since 10 years back.

A separate statement issued by Gangte Literature Society general secretary T Songminlun Gangte lauding the Cabinet decision, urged the authority concerned to pave way for the introduction of the said three tribal dialects till Class X from the next academic session so as to ease the ‘marginal feelings’ of the students concerned.

The GLS also duly acknowledged the contributions of various individuals towards the promotion of Gangte literature during the last couple of years.