Dear All press conference-cum- public meeting in Mumbai , both were jam packed . I/II http://timesofindia. 'Protect tribals to end Naxal movement' Shobhan Singh & Rohini Nair, TNN 1 November 2009, 06:46am IST MUMBAI: Human rights activists and citizens groups held a public meeting on Saturday to urge the government of India to rethink Operation Green Hunt. The meeting was spearheaded by Himanshu Kumar, founder of the Vanvasi Chetna Ashram, which works for the welfare of the adivasis, and Sudha Bhardwaj, lawyer and human rights activist. A petition was sent to union home minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday, detailing alternatives, which the activists claim will restore peace in the troubled Chhattisgarh. "The state demands peace and the end of violence but they seem oblivious of the fact that peace emanates from justice, which is what the tribals have been deprived of,'' said Kumar. "The day the police and the state will move to protect the adivasis, the Naxalite movement will be crushed automatically,'' he added. Kumar narrated the stories of the victims of attacks by the Salwa Judum. Even mundane tasks like buying rice are fraught with difficulties. "Because a group of 700 villages have been cordoned off by the security forces, a family may not be able to travel to the bazaar in a village five kilometre away. Instead, they may have to walk to a bazaar 85 km away, which could take four days,'' he said. The activists said the solution lies not in violence, but in addressing the demands of the tribal people and safeguarding their rights. Unconditional talks with the Maoists and stopping the flow of arms to civilians by way of the Salwa Judum, among others, are some proposals suggested in the petition. But the crux of the solution focuses on the rehabilitation of the adivasis, including providing basic amenities like health centres and schools. They have also asked for a probe into the adivasis' complaints against the police and security forces. II. http://www.dnaindia.com/ 'Give me one week to bring peace' Anita Aikara / DNASunday, November 1, 2009 2:46 IST Mumbai: "The Indian state police are cold blooded murderers," said Himanshu Kumar, Gandhian and social activist from Dantewada in Chhattisgarh, "Jis din police ki banduk garib ke haat mein khadi hogi, naxalities khatam hogi," he added. Himanshu Kumar and Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj were in Mumbai on Saturday to discuss the plight of adivasis in Chhattisgarh. Earlier in May, Kumar's Vanvasi Chetna Ashram was demolished by the Chhattisgarh government. Holding his social activism responsible for the demolishment, the activist took digs at the Home Minister and the local cops, "Not a single leader has visited us in the last five years. PC Chidambaram says that he wants peace in these areas. But I don't think it is peace that the people want. They want justice which isn't being delivered to them. Where there is injustice there can't be peace. Why are they sending forces to Bastar? Did the villagers ask for help or did the naxalites harass people in Delhi? I pity the armed forces that will be killed fighting for the corporates rather than poor innocent people." Kumar has been actively involved in the Dantewada region of Chhattisgarh, added that he was made a victim of indifference too, "When I was trying to rehabilitate people who have been displaced by the government's anti-Naxalite movement, Salwa Judum- my ashram was demolished". Bharadwaj added, "In Jharkhand corporates are eyeing the land owned by the poor adivasis. The war is not against naxalites, it is against the poor adivasis. Bauxite, diamond, uranium, iron ore are found in Bastar and that is what the corporates want."Speaking of the indifference shown by the government, Kumar added, "Why doesn't the PM ask the villagers the reason behind their turning towards violence?" When asked what he thought of Kobad Gandhy's arrest, Kumar quickly responded, "I don't know the person, so I can't comment about him." As for the weapons carried by naxalites, Kumar alleged that most of the weapons were stolen from the local police, "Though at times the naxals also purchase weapons from the police. It is said that during encounters the cops hide the bullets and later sell them to the naxalites." |
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