Author: Akshaya Mukul
Publication: The Times of India
Date: October 6, 2008
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Existence_of_Salwa_Judum_necessary/articleshow/3563981.cms
The Supreme Court-appointed NHRC investigation
into Salwa Judum has justified government-sponsored arming of civilians by
calling it a "spontaneous revolt of the tribals against years of atrocities
and harassment suffered by them at the hands of Naxalites".
The 118-page report, submitted to SC, also
dismisses most of the allegations of human rights abuses made by the petitioners
in the apex court, including widely reported use of minors by Salwa Judum.
Instead, the report is harsh on Naxalites for human rights abuses and sees
action by Salwa Judum activists from the prism of necessary retaliation.
Only at a few places NHRC blames Salwa Judum
for excesses like looting and burning of houses or makes note of the fact
that many who joined did not come willingly. The report also points out that
police cases were not filed against excesses by both Salwa Judum and Naxalites.
But the running thread in the report is critical of Naxalites and blames them
for everything.
As an afterthought, the last paragraph of
the report suddenly wakes up to the fact that socio-economic deprivation has
resulted in the growth of naxalism. Therefore, it suggests "multi-pronged
approach" along with security-centric solutions.
The report says that 15 years after Jan Jagran
Abhiyan, an earlier attempt to deal with Naxalites, "local tribals once
again mustered courage to stand up to the Naxalites, which only goes to show
their sense of desperation".
NHRC's bias can be seen where the report discusses
human rights abuses by Salwa Judum and Naxalites.
"Allegations levelled in the petition
against Salwa Judum are prima facie true to the extent of burning of houses
and looting. However, the allegations against Salwa Judum of killings are
not true. During the enquiry of some specific allegations, the enquiry team
also did not come across any case of rape which could be substantiated,"
it says.
In the next paragraph, the report discusses
human rights abuses by Naxalites thus, "On the other hand, the Naxalites
have not only selectively killed Salwa Judum leaders and supporters, but they
are also responsible for the indiscriminate killing of many tribals and security
personnel."
The NHRC team could not even find out about
missing villagers and leaves the issue open by stating that "it is not
clear whether they have joined the Naxalites, or are hiding in the jungles,
or have moved out of Chhattisgarh, or have since been killed". Getting
into specific cases of killings of tribals, as alleged by petitioners in the
SC, the report says it could not find any evidence.
The NHRC enquiry team also "did not find
the Salwa Judum to be involved in asserting the right to control, intimidate
and punish anyone they consider to be a suspected Naxalite", the report
says. "Salwa Judum is primarily restricted to relief camps being run
with government support," it adds.
NHRC also did not "come across any evidence
to suggest that the district administration had deliberately withdrawn any
development activity or service from a village because the villagers had not
supported Salwa Judum".
Admitting that "Salwa Judum movement
has lost its momentum now" and was merely restricted to the 23 relief
camps in the Dantewada and Bijapur districts of Chhattisgarh, the NHRC team
recommended that authorities should continue to provide them adequate security
cover in the camps. and, in the long run, create conditions for the safe return
of all the displaced families.
