Inequality before the law in Madhya Pradesh
BHOPAL, 1 NOV: The State's disdain for activists working non-violently to deepen democracy by fighting for the rights of tribals and others affected by dams and other mega-projects , appears to have turned into open harassment.
On 28 October, a rally took place in Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh, involving thousands of tribals affected by the Omkareshwar and Indira Sagar dams. The objective of this rally was both dialogue with and pressure on the state government to fulfil the recent orders of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which directed the state to give the dam affected their legal rights. The dialogue never happened. Instead, Mr. Alok Aggarwal and Ms. Chittaroopa Palit of the NBA, along with 18 other tribals and activists, now sit arrested in jail, charged under Sections 147, 188, 294, 323, 332, 342, 353, 427, and 452 of the IPC.
A letter detailing the actions of the police by Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Ms. Medha Patkar has moved the Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission to seek separate reports from the Khandwa District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police within three days.
“Despite two High Court orders saying that adult sons and unmarried adult daughters of people affected by the Indira Sagar Project must be given land, the government is not implementing these orders”, Ms Chittaroopa Palit said at the 28 October rally. Speaking to The Statesman, Ms Patkar explained that this rally continued in the form of a dharna at the Khandwa Collector’s office when it became clear to the activists that the GM of Rehabilitation and Resettlement, NHDC, Mr BD Shankhwar, who was invited, was not interested in dialogue. After finally agreeing to a meeting at 3 p.m. on the following day, when Mr. Shankhwar again failed to show up, around twenty women led by Ms Palit entered the Collector’s office to try to compel the GM to meet with the oustees. This apparently led to their arrest.
What makes the happenings in Khandwa more than just a routine run-in between activists and the State, and much more like harassment by the government, is what transpired at the NBA office in Khandwa subsequently. On 30 October, police, without any search warrant, sealed and searched the NBA office for hours. Officials from the State Electricity Board followed this up with a ‘raid’ of their own yesterday. “The owners of the property have been slapped with a Rs 15,000 bill, because the office has been deemed commercial. The threat is that non-payment in 7 days will lead to criminal investigation”, Mr Vikas Jain, a lawyer representing the NBA said.
Home minister Mr Chidambaram’s ‘Operation Greenhunt’ has been buttressed so far by the rhetoric that violent resistance cannot be tolerated in a democracy and that Maoists and alienated tribals need to lay down arms and submit to the ‘rule of law.’ But where does democracy go when the State itself continues to ignore the rulings of law, in this case the rulings of the Madhya Pradesh High Court? Shiv Karan Singh
The above gives an example of what the government means by "come and talk".
Unfortunately, when the adivasis try to high light their grievance in a peaceful manner, no government pays any attention, whether it be MP, Bengal, A P, Jharkhand or the centre.
It is only when they take up arms to fight their cause, the government wants to talk.
Talk is just a smoke screen to whittle down their agitation by bringing forward a few leaders, giving them land or money so that the agitation stops.
In the '70s, the Naxal agitation was put down with an iron hand by Siddhartha Shankar Roy but the CPM reaped the benefit of the backlash against the Congress.
Now, the poor have finally seen through the CPM game. They have found them no different from the Congress.Hence, the agitation has been restarted.
Why do educated people lend support to these poor people.
The government calls them Maoist but they are not connected to Mao just as you or I are not connected to Hitler..
These are poor people who have been suffering and have finally decided to fight back.
They are Indians like you and me but uneducated and poor.
No government can put them down with bullets.
They will rise again like they have done now after the '70s massacre.
The only solution is STOP corruption in the government and STOP thinking of only your employees. STOP pay commission awards.
Use all this money for upliftment of these poor people.
Then only will you be able to control the so-called Maoists.
Monday, November 2, 2009
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