Militarization Plagues Bastar and Odisha, Putting Tribals at the Forefront of the Struggle

Bastar/Bhubaneshwar: There is an epidemic going on in this nation. One that silently creeps on to you and gives you no time to react. Unfortunately, not many might turn up to raise their voice as for most, it is a solution not a disease. The epidemic that is being talked here is rampant militarization. Bastar and southern Odisha, which have a substantial Adivasi population, face the brunt of it.    

When The Mooknayak reached out to Umreshwar Singh Armo of Hasdeo-Aranya Bachao Sangharsh Samiti regarding the atmosphere such camps create, the journalist was met with nervous voice, “The camps in and around Bastar are very dangerous,” claimed Umreshwar. He added, “The forces often scare and bully the locals for their own benefit. There are multiple cases of rape and fake encounters that have happened.”

On being asked if the police help the Adivasis in any manner, Umreshwar revealed, “FIRs are not registered and anyone trying to do so are tagged as a Naxalite and dismissed.”

Bastar is one of the most militarised tribal regions of the nation. The division has seen multiple uprisings and well as encounters. An activist associated with Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan and a resident of Bastar revealed the grim realities of ground. She said, “In the last 5 years, around 65 security camps have allegedly come up in the seven districts of Bastar division.” Drawing parallel with Kashmir and the northeast, the activist commented, “militarization affects every area, whether it is Bastar or any other regions of the country. People are randomly taken from their homes and are beaten up.”

On being asked about the effect on the day-to-day life of the people, the dejected activist responded, “Adivasis are directly dependent on the forests for their livelihood. They are stopped, asked questions and harassed by the military personnels. This stops many from going to forests, affecting their income. Sexual violence among women have increased with the increase in the number of such camps.”

She went on about the consequences on the legal system and said, “our areas are reserved for the scheduled communities and certain laws have been designed specifically for us. Forest Resource Rights Act, PESA act have been drawn for us, but they are often disregarded by the security officials.”

Nandini Sundar, a professor at Delhi University explained during a Press Meet on ‘corporate takeover of Natural Resources’, “in the region of Bastar, there is a security camp every 2-3km. The security camps there are surrounded by barbed wires just like a concentration camp. Trees are felled and the camps are constructed at night and suddenly start being operational from a random day. When we asked the district collector and Information Bureau about the reason of setting these camps at night without any notice, they used the same old excuse of ‘security.”

The professor continued, “Rowghat in north Bastar did not have an atmosphere of insurgency but 22 security camps came up in the region in the last 10 years. In last year, multiple security camps of 1.5 hectare were set up in Bastar.”

Emotionally, Prof. Sundar held the microphone and said, “A young child lost her life due to crossfire on 1st January. If the government sent more jawans, more young lives will be lost. It is not like the tribals do not want developed roads and other amenities. But the issue is that their concerns are not taken into account.”

In a distressing tone, she said, “It seems the government has money to spend on camps but none to make schools or health centres. The only thing that is worked upon on a speedy process are the security camps while other amenities take years to be made.”

Unfortunately, that is not an isolated case for Bastar. Tribal areas of Odisha face the same. A young activist spoke to The Mooknayak about the occurrence of such camps and the atmosphere they create in Koraput-Nabarangpur-Malkangiri districts of Odisha. He said, “Wherever these security camps come up; cases of atrocities increase. Women are often molested and harassed. Adivasi people are taken into nearby jungles where unspeakable acts are done to them. There are rumours about atrocities that we get to hear about areas with substantial tribal population and security camps.”

The activist developed a stern tone and claimed, “whenever a camp is put up, the population in that area gets scared because they have a history of violence and the fact that most people are not that educated or aware of their rights.”

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