Hello, Bastar — The Untold Story of India’s Maoist Movement By Rahul Pandita

Tranquebar Press
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When Ganapathi and Kishenji took to Arms

 Hindustan Times

The following is an edited extract from the chapter, The Return of the Spring Thunder. Situated on the southern edge of the Adilabad district, Tappalpur appeared to be a quiet village. But a group of about a dozen men, who lay low outside a mansion on the evening of 25 September 1976, knew that it was not quite so. The village was ruled by the 65-year-old landlord GV Pithambar Rao, one-time MLA, who now devoted all his time to managing the affairs of his lands.

The Velama caste to which Rao belonged was known for its aversion to engaging in any form of productive work. In fact, there is a saying about the Velamas that even if burning coals land on their thighs, they would expect their bonded labourers to remove them instead of saving themselves.

Around that time, 14 per cent of Adilabad’s population was tribal, with Gonds constituting three-quarters of it. The district was also home to the Sringareni collieries, the biggest in south India. But only about six to seven per cent of their employees were tribals. Big industrial houses had business interests here in products such as coal and bamboo.

There was a lot of unrest among the landless poor, who were at one time landowners but had lost their land to money-lenders, who had come from Maharashtra and other parts of Andhra Pradesh. In many cases, the poor tribals had cleared large tracts of forest land for agriculture, after paying bribes to the revenue and forest officials.

Later, the same forest department officials began evacuating the tribals from the forest area, denying them even the little sustenance that came through cultivation.

It was in such circumstances, Naxalites allege, that rich landlords like Pithambar Rao made life even more difficult for the poor. Rao had been on the hit list of the Naxalites for some time — according to a rebel who was a part of the hit team — because of his alleged cruel ways of dealing with the poor peasants of Tappalpur.

The Naxalites accuse him of being drunk on money and political power, and of committing a number of atrocities including the raping of womenfolk. The Naxalites even go to the extent of saying that in those days no family would agree to a marriage alliance for their daughter from anyone in Tappalpur because of Rao’s reputation.

Apart from this, the Naxalites had another major axe to grind with Pithambar Rao. In 1972, two peasants, Bhumaiah and Kishta Goud were arrested for murdering a landlord in Adilabad, and were later sentenced to death. Civil rights groups had tried their best to save them from the gallows (even Sartre had demanded their release) but in the middle of the Emergency, on 1 December 1975, the two were hanged in the Mushirabad jail-becoming the first to be hanged in free India (after Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse).

LIST OF POLICE KILLINGS IN DANDAKARANYA (From 10 Aug 2009) IN OPERATION GREEN HUNT

(Updated on June 1, 2011. Yet, it’s incomplete as we are still unable to record every incident of killing taking place almost on a daily basis. Some incidents of killings have completely gone unreported. Some people were abducted and their whereabouts were not revealed till now by police.)

SO, OUR STRAIGHT QUESTION IS WHY THIS HUE AND CRY OVER KILLINGS OF POLICE, SPO AND PARAMILITARY FORCES, WHO ACTUALLY ARE THE MERCILESS KILLERS OF INNOCENT ADIVASI PEOPLE?

AND WHY NOT ‘NO TEARS’ ON THESE LIVES LOST (GIVEN BELOW)?

DO ASK THE RULERS OF OUR COUNTRY WHO RECITE ‘DEMOCRACY’ AND ‘CONSTITUTION’ ON EVERY BREATH…

WHO HAD KILLED THESE PEOPLE AND WHY?

POLICE KILLINGS IN DANDAKARANYA (From 10 Aug 2009) IN OPERATION GREEN HUNT
Date	No. of People Killed	Name	Sex/Age	Native Village	Site of killing	Block/ District	How were they killed?
10-Aug-09	6	Oyam Sagar	M/30	Vecham	Between Oukyam and Vecham villages	Bijapur	All were caught and shot dead. Out of them the only girl Somli was our unarmed comrade. Rest were innocent peasants
		Emla Pandru	M/25	Choukanpal
		Hapka Lingu	M/25	“
		Tati Lakmu	M/25	Etepadu
		Tati Aitu	M/45	“
		Karam Somli	F/16	Timmenar
13-Aug-09	2	Madkam Sannu	M/45	Keshmundi		Bhairamgarh/Bijapur	Killed in fake encounter
		Podiyam Somdu	M/30	“
7-Sep-09	1	Kunjam Bhima	M	Duvvalkarka	Duvvalkarka	Dantewada	caught and shot dead
7-Sep-09	1	Madkam Raju	M/20	Timmenar		Bijapur	caught and shot dead
8-Sep-09	4	Sodi Sona	M/55	Gollagudem	Gollagudem	Dantewada	caught and shot dead but encounter not declared
		Sodi Bheemal	M/45
		Sodi Aite	F/25
		Madivi Deval	M/50
13-Sep-09	1	Kavasi Sukram	M/25	Keskuttul		Bijapur	caught and shot dead
17-Sep-09	1	Madivi Deval	M/30	Singanmadugu	Singanmadugu	Dantewada	caught and killed in cold blood and not declared
17-Sep-09	5	Dudi Muye	F/70	Gachampally	Gachanpally	Dantewada	caught and killed in cold blood and not declared
		Madivi Adamal	M/45
		Madakam Chulal	M/45
		Madivi Jogal	M/60
		Madivi Gangal	M/70				beaten unto death and not declared
17-Sep-09	5	Paddem Deval	M/25	Gattampadu	Between Nallabelly and Gollapally villages	Dantewada	caught and killed in cold blood
		Dudi Pojjal	M/15
		Sodi Masal	M/20
		Tuniki Sinnal	M/35	Palachelima
		Sodi Shanesh	M/43
17-Sep-09	1	Dudi Adamal	M/35		Paidagudem
26-Sep-09	3	Kalmu Gangi	F/50	Poojarikanker	Between Poojarikanker and Gunjur villages	Bijapur	caught separately when they were working in fields and shot dead
			M/	Gunjur
			M/	“
22-Sep-09	2	Sukhram Koudo	M	Kosronda	Kosronda	Kanker	SPOs killed these persons and thrown away their deadbodies in same village Kosronda. They put a poster to paint it as a Maoist killing
		Lachhan Dhurwa	M
1-Oct-09	12	Madivi Bajaru	M/40	Gompad	Gompad	Dantewada	Killed in indiscriminate firing and not declared
		Soyam Subba	M/35
		Madivi Yenka	M/50
		Soyam Subba	M/20
		Soyam Jogi	F/18
		Kartam Kanni	F/23
		Madivi Mutti	F/10
		Madivi Deval	M/35	Gopalpuram (AP)
		Kartam Mutta	M/40	Chintaguppa
		Musaki Deva	M/	Kunadabba
		Kunjam Arly	M/17	Velpocha
		Musaki Muka	M/32	Nulkatongu
1-Oct-09	1	Muchaki Handa	M/40	Dabba		Dantewada	caught and shot dead
7-Oct-09	1	Madakam Raju	M/20	Timmenar	Kamulur	Bijapur	This student activist was caught and shot dead
13-Oct-09	1	Podiyam Somdu	M/45	Kutul lakka	Kutul lakka	Bijapur	caught and shot dead
17-Oct-09	2	Kovasi Sukram	M/45	Kankagudem	Kankagudem	Bijapur	caught and shot dead
		Madkam Sannu	M/45
23-Oct-09	1	Shyambatti @ Batti	F/20	Gattakal	Anjreli	Narayanpur	Caught in Padangal village and taken to Narayanpur. Police tortured and killed in cold blood. Her body thrown away in Anjrelli village and declared as encounter
24-Oct-09	1	Madivi Ungal	M/20	Gundam	Pusubaka	Bijapur	caught and shot dead
24-Oct-09	2	Sodi Gangi	F/40	Pujarikanker	Pujarikanker	Bijapur	raped and killed
24-Oct-09	2	Musaki Kosa	M/25	Gunjur	Gunjur	Bijapur	caught and shot dead
		Sodi Unga	M/22
8-Nov-09	1	Gandam Sukram	M/38	Nangalgudem		Dantewada	Killed and declared as road accident
8-Nov-09	2	Dirdo Madka	M/60	Kachlaram	Kachlaram	Bhopalpatnam/Bijapur	indiscriminately fired and killed
		Kovasi Suklu	M/65
10-Nov-09	7	Madkam Hunga	M/45	Tettemadugu	Killed at two different places	Konta/Dantewada	caught and shot dead
		Madkam Hidma	M/30	“
		Dudhi Rajal	M/50	“
		Kartam Aital	M/30	Doragudem
		Madkam Badral	M/25	Dokpad
		Vendo Mangdu	M/27	“
		Madivi Jogal	M/35	Palodi
15-Nov-09	1	Mansu Dhurwa	M/14	Markanar	Near Koelibeda	Kanker	7th Class student of Koelibeda High School. Killed in cold blood and declared as an encounter
20-Nov-09	1	Madkam Deva	M/40	Burgum		Kuvakonda/Dantewada	Killed in fake encounter
24-Nov-09	2	Madivi Baman	M/11	Pangodi	Pangodi	Usur/Bijapur	These persons were father and son who were caught and shot dead
		Madivi Sadhu	M/11
27-Nov-09	1	Madkam Mangu	M/25	Hiroli		Kuvakonda/Dantewada	“
3-Dec-09	1	Madivi Budhram	M	Korinjed	Kachlaram	Bhopalpatnam/Bijapur	caught and shot dead
11-Dec-09	7	Kunjam Hurra	M/18	Gumiyapal	Sammeli	Kuvakonda/Dantewada	caught when they were asleep and taken away to Kirandul. Next day shot dead at a nearby village
		Madivi Joga	M/25
		Barse Somdu	M/30
		Midiyam Bhuma	M/35
		Midiyam Sukka	M/17
		Madivi Gutta	M/40
		Tati Hidma	M/25	Aranpur
11-Dec-09	1	Sitaram Korram	M/	Toter	Toter	Narayanpur	dragged from his house and tortured and shot dead then declared him as deputy commander of the local squad
15-Dec-09	2	Veko Sombaru	M/30	Kotrapal	Kotrapal	Bhairamgarh/Bijapur	caught and shot dead
		Madivi Motli	F/25
21-Dec-09	3	Suklu Mandavi	M	Odsapara		Bijapur	A 150-member killer gang of SPOs and Police came from Bangapal and Kosoli Camps and picked these people from their villages and shot them dead
		Lachhu Poyam	M	Karkaveda
		Kosa Mandavi	M
30-Dec-09	2	Punem Pandru	M/45	Vechapal	Vechapal	Bijapur	These persons were father and son who were caught and shot dead
		Punem Motu	M/20
7-Jan-10	1	Korsa Munna	M/18	Mankeli	Mankeli	Bijapur	Caught and killed
9-Jan-10	4	Madivi Bandi	F/34	Surpangudem	Near Chintalnar	Konta/Dantewada	caught and shot dead
		Kalmu Paiki	F/25
		Midiyam Gujja	M/18
		Ursa Unga	M/20	Durvondarbha
11-Jan-10	3	Hapka Sombaru	M/17	Kotrapal	Kotrapal	Bhairamgarh/Bijapur	Caught and killed
		Emla Sukku	M/35
		Boggami Raju	M/20
12-Jan-10	1	Madkam Joga	M/22	Kottagudem	Rangaiguda	Konta/Dantewada	caught and shot dead
15-Jan-10	2	Madkam Handa	M/25	Rangaiguda
		Podiyam Raju	M/20	Permapara
17-Jan-10	1	Kalmu Chamru	M/35	Kaika	Kaika	Bijapur	Caught and shot dead
20-Jan-10	2	Mahesh Dhurwa	M/25	Kakbaras	Near Antagarh	Kanker	Police arrested these persons in Eekdand village on Jan 20 and killed after torturing them for sevaral days. Their dead bodies were found near a river on Jan 31 and a story concocted that unknown persons were killed.
		Karthik Usendi	M/25	Kotul
23-Jan-10	4	Kunjam Motu	M/24	Kutrem	Between Kutrem and Kakadi hills	Kuvakonda/Dantewada	All of these innocent people were caught and killed.
		Kunjam Bhima	M/25	Porokakad
		Kunjam Hurra	M/20	Sammeli
		Kadti Bhima	M/25
26-Jan-10	1	Nadugu Nureti	M/40	Kosronda		Raoghat/Kanker	picked up from his house and put an olive green uniform on him and killed in cold blood and then declared as encounter
29-Jan-10	1	Sudhakar Korram	M/22		Remawand village	Narayanpur	He was an unarmed member of our organization who was killed in indiscriminate firing and declared as encounter death
2-Feb-10	2	Emla Mangu	M/27	Paralnar	Paralnar	Gangalur/Bijapur	Caught and shotdead; Emla Mangu was PLGA member, while Lakshmi was village girl
		Badse Lakshmi	F/20
3-Feb-10	7	Rama Kalmami	M/22	Takilod	Takilod	Bijapur	Police and SPOs team attacked village Takilod caught 14 people and selectevely Killed these 7 in most inhuman way
		Asharam Emla	M/25
		Jayram Emla	M/30
		Anantram Veko	M/30
		Motu Barsa	M/35
		Raju Murami	M/20
		Anatram Kalmami	M/2
3-Feb-10	1	Korsa Lakmu	M/40	Regadgatta	Cherpal	Bijapur/Bijapur	Caught and shot dead by joint forces
7-Feb-10	5	Santu Potai	M/25	Matala	Ongnar	Narayanpur	All of these were caught  and killed in cold blood
		Phoolo Vadde	F/22	Ongnar
		Kade Potai	M/20	Addempad
		Ramoli Vadde	F/22	Onapad
		Dalsai Korram	M/22	Mandoki
9-Feb-10	1	Punem Ungal	M/30	Pottenar	Pottenar	Bhairamgarh/Bijapur	caught and shot dead
12-Feb-10	1	Kumili	F/22	Paiveru	Dumnar	Narayanpur	She was working in a farm run by Janatana Sarkar. SPOs and Informers caught her. They gangraped her and brutally beheaded
17-Feb-10	1	Kursam Pandru	M/20	Gornam	Gornam	Bijapur	caught and killed
2-Apr-10	1	Soma Kadiyami	M/40	Kandadi	Near Kesekodi	Kanker	Taken away from village and shot him dead in cold blood
4-May-10	2	Lalsingh	M/22	Nariya	Rajubeda	Narayanpur	Sourrounded the local youth shot from point-blank
		Sukhlal	M/20	Bailapad
16-May-10	2	Vanjami Malla	M/18	Gumiyapal	Gumiyapal	Kirandul/Dantewada	Shot dead and declared as encounter
		Kunjami Aitu	M/23	Kutrem
19-May-10	1	Midiyam Bandi	M/27	Etem	Etem	Gadiras/Dantewada	Caught and shot dead
2-Jun-10	1	Sukhda Achla	M	Silparas Mettatola	Vala	Kanker	killed in indiscriminate firing on village youth
3-Jun-10	1	Maddal	M/14	Angmetta	Angmetta	Bijapur	Caught by SPOs while he was alone and stabbed to death
20-Jun-10	2	Deve	F/25	Indravati Area	Kohkametta	Narayanpur	Both were killed in indiscriminate firing by Police while they were cooking food for guerillas in village. Deve was a PLGA fighter, while Shivcharan was an unarmed villager.
		Shivcharan	M/23	Muhandi
7-Jul-10	1	Oyam Mangu	M/19	Tarrem	Nakulnar	Kuvakonda/Dantewada	This PLGA fighter was killed in fierce fighting during PLGA raid on notorious Awadhesh Goutam’s house
24-Jul-10	1	Jagesh Koudo	M/	Gummer	Gummer	Raoghat/Kanker	no details
4-Aug-10	1	Kunjami Joga	M/23	Kutrem	Kutrem	Kirandul/Dantewada	Koya Commandos etc raided the village and shot dead while he was stepping out of his house.
11-Aug-10	3	Madkam Hidma	M/21	Rangaiguda	Rangaiguda	Konta/Dantewada	Killed in fake encounter by Koya Commandos
		Veko Bojja	M/33
		Bhima	M/25
17-Aug-10	1	Chaite	M/28	Enhur_NBT	Usebeda	Orchha/Narayanpur	SPOs with the help of some local informers caught this ACM level comrade while she was alone near a camp and killed in cold blood after gangrape.
9-Sep-10	1	Veko Kotlu	M/35	Kotrapal	Kotrapal	Bhairamgarh/Bijapur	Killed in a fake encounter
21-Sep-10	2	Vetti Hadma	M/22	Gommugudem	Usoor	Usoor/Bijapur	Both were killed in a real encouter
		Oyam Budral	M/20
8-Oct-10	6	Names unknown		Sawargaon	Sawargaon	Dhanora/Gadchiroli	All of these were innocent villagers and school children, who were killed in indiscriminate mortar shelling by ITBP merceneries belonging to Kohka basecamp in Rajnandgaon district of CG, fired mortar shells who had gone mad after they were ambushed by PLGA in which 3 of their jawans were killed
9-Oct-10	8	Kosa @ Aitu	M/30	WBT	Padkipali	Sankara/Mahasamund	Out of 8 persons killed, only 6 were PLGA guerillas, laid down their lives while fighting with the enemy forces inflicting injuries to two STF personnel, whereas Goutam Patel and a labourer at his house were unarmed and innocent villagers who were dragged out of their house and shot dead in cold blood. Thus, it was partially real encounter.
		Anita @ Natasha	F/25	Gattakal/NBT
		Arjun @ Chandu	M/24	Pollevaya-IV area
		Parvati	F/21	NBT
		Rajbati	F/20	NBT
		Lachhu	M/19	Usebeda-Maad
		Goutam Patel	M/?	Padkipali
		One labour	M/?	Padkipali
13-Oct-10	2	Madivi Masa	M/21	Gornam	Gornam	Bijapur	Caught and shot dead and declared as encounter
		Sodhi Baman	M/25
15-Oct-10	2	Joga Kowasi @ Nagesh	M/36	Palodi-SBT	Bhilai	Durg	Both were were caught from Bhilai suburban area and shot dead and declared it as encounter
		Prameela Mandavi	F/22	Pulunj-NBT
19-Oct-10	2	Kursam Kistaiah	M/24	Kottapally	Kottapally	Madded/Bijapur	Shot dead and declared as encounter and one young woman Kursam sangeeta (24) was arrected
		Kursam Nagesh	M/23
21-Oct-10	2	Oyam Mangu	M/25	Burigil	Burigil	Gangalur/Bijapur	Killed when police fired indiscriminately on villagers
		Oyam Manku	M/17
22-Oct-10	1	Unknown	M/		Kolar	Kanker	Police claimed this killing, has to be confirmed
25-Oct-10	1	Sannau Nuroti	M/30	Nibra	Madapa forest between Tadoki and Raoghat	Antagarh/Kanker	Caught from his house and next day killed in a fake encounter and declared him a platoon commander
23-Nov-10	9	Emla Phagu	M/21	Silinger	Jegurugonda/Mettaguda Para	Jegurgonda/Dantewada	All were killed in a fake encounter while they were on sentry duty to protect their crops
		Korsa Madhu	M/25	Silinger
		Korsa Sukkal	M/29	Silinger
		Kunjam Suresh	M/29	Timpuram
		Atami Bandi	M/26	Durvondarbha
		Kadti Subbal	M/21	Durvondarbha
		Uike Dula	M/22	Messum
		Uike Sannu	M/21	Messum
		Oyam Hidma	M/18	Vedire
10-Dec-10	2	Sadimek Laxmaiah	M/30	Gorli	Gorugonda	Bhadrakali/Bijapur	Caught and shot dead
		Micha Bhima	M/30	Gorgonda
14-Dec-10	2	Shyam Shankar	M/21	Kandanar	Netanar	Darbha/Bastar	Caught and shot dead
		Mahru	M/35	Koleng
14-Jan-11	1	Kalma Mangu	M/25	Badisetty	Singanguda	Sukma/Dantewada	Caught and shot dead by Koya Commando
17-Jan-11	2	Musaki Kosa	M/22	Gurgutta	Gurgutta	Bijapur/Bijapur	Caught and shot dead by STF, SPO and DF
		Kuhudam Budru	M/20
20-Jan-11	1	Midiyam Channu	M/16	Gumiyapal	Hirroli	Kuvakonda/Dantewada	Shot dead in weekly bazar while he was trying to escape arrest. Police arrested two persons and indiscriminately fired at Channu.
8-Feb-11	1	Korsa Sannu	M/35	Murunga	Murunga	Bijapur/Bijapur	Caught and shot dead by joint forces
24-Feb-11	2	Munna Oyam	M/23	Dharma	Gondmetta	Bhairamgarh/Bijapur	Both were killed in indiscriminate firing by Police, CRPF and SPOs.
		Rayyo	F/18	Bayil
11-Mar-11	1	Madvi Sula	M/28	Morupally	Morupally	Chitalnar/Dantewada	This elderly villager was picking tamarind from the tree when the Judum forces accosted him, accused him of being a Maoist informer and shot him dead in front of his wife and hanged from a tree.
12-Mar-11	2	Punem Lachhu	M/	Pullum	Pullum	Bhairamgarh/Bijapur	400 armed forces raided the village and took away 16 people with them after killing these two.
		Kunjami Kamlu	M/
14-Mar-11	2	Badse Bhima	M/29	Pulampad	Timmapur	Chitalnar/Dantewada	Picked up by the CRPF and SPOs  from Pulampad village on their way to Timmapuram. After setting the villages on fire, they hacked Bursey Bhima to death with an axe and Mannu Yadav was shot dead and was taken away to Chintalnar to be showed as a Maoist killed in encounter.
		Manu Yadav	M/28
29-Mar-11	1	Lakhmu	M	Kesamundi	Kesamundi	Bhairamgarh/Bijapur	Armed forces raided the village and picked up two people and one of those was shot dead
19-Apr-11	1	Rajnu Salam	M/14	Chinari	Chinari	Narayanpur	This unarmed boy was picked up from his village and killed brutally. His deadbody was taken away by his killers claiming that he was an armed Maoist.
TOTAL	195

 

Support JNU Forum against War on People – Sign Petition

Dear friends,

Please Sign this Online Petition against the authoritarian actions on the JNU Forum against War on People by the university administration, and circulate it widely: http://www.petitiononline.com/jnufawp0/petition.html

With regards,
JNU Forum against War on People

A note on the petition

As you know, the JNU Forum against War on People have been consistently active in the last two years in opposing Operation Green Hunt, the Indian state’s war on people. The activities and campaigns of the Forum has to a great extent mobilised a strong opinion against this repressive war by the state, which has made it a target of the JNU administration as well as the right-wing students’ organisations. Now by using the pretext of an ‘objectionable’ image, the administration is conducting a farcical Proctorial Enquiry against the students associated with the Forum, and launched a witch-hunt for them. Moreover, it has effectively put a ban on all activities of the Forum including public meetings etc. by ‘restraining’ the Forum from all activities pending the enquiry. This highly objectionable and authoritartian act has been strongly opposed by the Forum, the student community of JNU as well as the teachers, since it is not an attack on one particular organisation, but on the democratic space and political culture of the university itself.

We, on behalf of the JNU Forum against War on People, appeal to you to support the struggle of the students in all possible manner. We request you to endorse and sign a petition to the Vice Chancellor opposing the actions of the administration, and demanding their immediate withdrawal. We look forward to your much-needed support to strengthen our collective struggle against Operation Green Hunt and state repression on the people.

With regards,

JNU Forum against War on People

Arundhati Roy: ‘They are trying to keep me destabilised. Anybody who says anything is in danger’

Source: Guardian

Arundhati Roy. Photograph: Sarah Lee

This is not an ideal beginning. I bump into Arundhati Roy as we are both heading for the loo in the foyer of the large building that houses her publisher Penguin’s offices. There are some authors, V S Naipaul say, with whom this could be awkward. But not Roy, who makes me feel instantly at ease. A few minutes later, her publicist settles us in a small, bare room. As we take our positions on either side of a narrow desk I liken it to an interrogation suite. But she says that in India, interrogation rooms are a good deal less salubrious than this.

Roy, who is 50 this year, is best known for her 1997 Booker prize-winning novel The God of Small Things, but for the past decade has been an increasingly vocal critic of the Indian state, attacking its policy towards Kashmir, the environmental destruction wrought by rapid development, the country’s nuclear weapons programme and corruption. As a prominent opponent of everything connected with globalisation, she is seeking to construct a “new modernity” based on sustainability and a defence of traditional ways of life.

Her new book, Broken Republic, brings together three essays about the Maoist guerrilla movement in the forests of central India that is resisting the government’s attempts to develop and mine land on which tribal people live. The central essay, Walking with the Comrades, is a brilliant piece of reportage, recounting three weeks she spent with the guerrillas in the forest. She must, I suggest, have been in great personal danger. “Everybody’s in great danger there, so you can’t go round feeling you are specially in danger,” she says in her pleasant, high-pitched voice. In any case, she says, the violence of bullets and torture are no greater than the violence of hunger and malnutrition, of vulnerable people feeling they’re under siege.

OPPOSE ARREST & TORTURE OF COM. HARBHINDER JALAL, DEMAND AN END TO ALL REPRESSIVE MEASURES

COM. HARBHINDER JALAL, BEING PRODUCED BY POLICE IN KHARAR COURT

Harbhinder Singh Jalal, who has been editing a revolutionary Punjabi magazine “CHAMKDA LAL TARA” (Shining Red Star), was arrested by Kharar Police while he was traveling in a bus near Gharuan village. The police alleged him to be the head of Punjab unit of CPI Maoist. A 32 bore pistol and some live cartridges were shown to have been recovered from him.

In police custody Harbhinder was severely tortured and subjected to third degree methods of interrogation. A case under S.10,13,18 & 20 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act; S. 25, 54, 59 of the Arms Act and Section 121, 419, 420, 471 of the IPC has been slapped against him. He was denied the legal assistance of his chosen lawyers. Lok Morcha Punjab, along with his family approached S/Sh. R.S. Bains and Harinder Pal Singh Ishar, Chandigarh based Human Rights lawyers, who moved an application for permission to meet Com Harbhinder in police custody and for his medical examination. The State vigorously opposed this application on the fictitious ground of threat to national security. However the court allowed the advocates to meet him daily in the Police Station between 7 PM to 8 PM and also to get him medically examined every 48 hours from the Civil Hospital.

On 9.5.2011, when Com Harbhinder was produced in court for further remand, dozens of his friends and well-wishers from all over Punjab, came to see him, but the police did not allow them to meet him. His further police remand was sought on the plea that he was to be taken to Ranchi to affect certain recoveries. Subsequently this pretext proved to be false as he was not taken to Ranchi. Perhaps the court’s order permitting his lawyers to meet him everyday in the extended period of remand, acted as a dampener for the police. On 14.5.2011, he was remanded to judicial custody and is now lodged in Ropar Jail.