Reclaiming Lost Lands in South Bastar
Villagers who fled the Salwa Judum-Maoist conflict return home to familiar grounds
By Bela Bhatia
Tehelka Daily stories
Imagine a situation where you had to flee from your home and everything that was familiar in a matter of a few minutes.
Such has been the fate of many thousand adivasis of Bijapur and Dantewada districts of south Bastar in Chhattisgarh since the last four years. Mid-2005 saw the beginning of local discontent against Naxalite action in a few villages of west Bijapur which soon took the form of a counter-insurgency operation that had unrestrained backing of the authorities. Christened Salwa Judum, the movement started out with the aim of bringing peace but has instead left behind a trail of death and displacement in the area. At least 644 villages (as per official records) are affected and over a lakh people displaced.
This year the Mahua season, the beginning of the Adivasi new year, has brought with it forgotten hope. People from Bijapur district, Basaguda and Lingagiri, who were forced to flee their homes in 2006, following an attack by Salwa Judum (in Lingagiri) and the Maoists (in Basaguda), have returned. For three years, the insignificant -looking bridge over Talpedu river was deemed uncrossable and was a dividing line between their villages and the adjoining areas; Maoist territory, and the other side as being under Government and Salwa Judum control, the former represented by the police and CRPF camps and the latter by the settlement, ironically called ”rahat shivir‘ (relief camp). On 28 March, this bridge was crossed and the dividing line erased.
Traders from Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and other parts of Chhattisgarh took part in the Basaguda weekly bazaar to sell wares and buy rare forest produce such as chironji, lac, banjira, etc. besides the best quality ‘HMT’ rice. People recall earlier times as they come to terms with the state of affairs now – burnt or fallen houses, overgrown paths and fields, lost cattle, no electricity, and most importantly no food. Irregular ration supplies, where most do not even posses ration cards. The Rs. 3 kg rice (a maximum of 35 kg per family per month) scheme of the state government is not reaching the people, but the grain is instead being diverted to shops in Avapalli and sold at Rs. 10 per kg. Talking about the safety of the roads; there have been at least six IED (Improvised Explosive Device) attacks on civilian vehicles in the last three years. The Vanvasi Chetna Ashram of Kawalnar (Dantewada) has been aiding the efforts of the people towards resettlement.
Lingagiri villagers spoke of no government inquiries in the ten days that they had been there. In fact, the day before the people of Basaguda were to arrive, the Collector informed the Vanvasi Chetna Ashram that since they could not provide security during election time, permission for relocation could not be granted. The villagers decided to return at their own risk.
People of almost every affected village in this region have migrated and have taken up cultivation in their own lands, or work in the mirchi badis or as coolies in Andhra Pradesh, where their huts were burnt 12 times over by the Forest Department. In the camps, most people have gone except those who perceive themselves to be ‘targets’ of the Maoists. It is a fact that even though theirs is a brave step, further attacks from both sides cannot be ruled out since there is no understanding of peace between both parties.
The effort of these ‘Internally Displaced People’ to reclaim their lost lands is significant since the state government has made no effort in implementing the Supreme Court directive to adhere to the NHRC concerns regarding the resettlement and compensation of the displaced. In spite of there being no discernible positive steps taken by the government, their claim of doing the needful remains strong in the Supreme Court. Letter from the Home Secretary had gone to the Collectors of Bijapur and Dantewada districts in October 2008 but to no effect
Importantly, the letter of the Secretary also refers to the need for FIRs to be registered for various crimes, especially those committed by the state security personnel which is to be investigated by the Crime Branch/ CID. Sadly, the state has only witnessed a rise in fresh crimes, such as setting fire to the harvest in Chinger, Regadgatta and Gorkha villages by SPOs. While activists, like Dr. Binayak Sen, who raised their voice against the actions of the Salwa Judum and Security Forces have been imprisoned illegally under the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act (CSPSA) the bulk of the people in these two districts who have borne these injustices as well as in some cases excesses of the Maoists have been living as though in one large prison.
Some locals also point out that the government foot-dragging should be read as making life easier for Essar and Tata when the locals begin work in the two iron-ore mines in the Bailadila hills, only 25 km away from these villages. Roads, townships, etc. would need to be built and land would be needed. In accordance with this line of thinking, Maoist wall-writings on the still-standing buildings in the area also continue to expound the thesis that “the Government is only serving the interests of a handful of people: the imperialists, capitalists and feudal classes, not the poor labourers, peasants and the working class. “Whether or not Essar, Tata or other companies force their way in this area in future, in the light of what the people have been witness to can anyone argue with these statements? One is reminded about Gibran’s “life’s longing for itself” when you see these strife-torn villagers trying to revive their lives. But will the Government respond to these people? And if it does not then is it surprising that tears and anger should be turned into arrows and bullets be it in the name of Mao or anyone else?
Bhatia works with the Delhi-based Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.
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