salwa Judum

Naxalism has its roots in socio-economic disparities prevalent within the State. However, the loss of life and property due to its extremist ways cannot be ruled out either. Salwa Judum formed in the year 2005, was hailed as an uprising of the villagers against the atrocities by the Naxals. But arming of the tribals by the State on the sly to fight the rebels resulted in an aggravated situation leading to heavy displacement of tribals. Salwa Judum resorted to the same violent measures o its own people, against which it was supposedly standing up. Where on the one hand its members talked of protecting the people from the Maoist atrocities, it resorted to killings and arson against whosoever it branded as a Maoist sympathizer.

This paper is a small attempt to look into State sponsored crime in the garb of peoples movement called Salwa Judum. The Chapters look into the spread of Naxalism in the region and the counter efforts made by the tribals.

Conflict between state backed Salwa Judum and Naxals in Chhattisgarh forced tens of thousands tribal population to leave their native places- Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukma districts and move to the remotest parts of adjoining Warangal and Khammam districts in Telangana state since early 2000s without any assistance of the government to address their plight. Gotti Koyas, or Muria/ Gonds and other tribes affected by the armed conflict in south Bastar is a classic example of the tragedy of IDPs- denial of assistance by the government and their rights to entitlements of citizenship and violence robbing their lives, assets, collective life, hope and identity as citizens. Although IDPs avail some schemes or services of the government like PDS ration, school/ hostel, right to vote, NREGA job work, etc outside their settlement as a temporary benefit or ad-hoc because their identity is not recognized and their settlements are seen as “illegal” and threatened of eviction reducing them at best “transient citizens” different from the citizens with rights and entitlements promised and protected by law of the land.

Military counterinsurgencies can intensify wars by exacerbating the very violence and attacks upon civilian populations that they are meant to temper. In 2005, the state of Chhattisgarh, India responded to a long-simmering conflict against the Communist Party of India-Maoist (or Naxals) in this manner by secretly funding and arming a counterinsurgency group called Salwa Judum (meaning ‘purification hunt’). Salwa Judum was armed by the state in the hopes that it would fight the Naxals, make the mineral-rich area safer for industry, and allow for official deniability of violence against civilians and suspected Naxals in the name of reasserting control. Instead of quelling the rebellion, the conflict became exponentially deadlier, militarizing marginalized communities in the process. However, industry has thrived even as it sits in the heart of the conflict zone, surrounded by a human rights disaster from which the state has yet to recover.