Chhattisgarh crackdown on anti-mine struggle meant to 'uproot' mass movements

Counterview Desk
The civil rights network, Forum Against Corporatization and Militarization's (FACAM)*, commenting on the recent arrests of two activists Tirumal Lakhma Koram and Ranu Podyam of the Modanaar Jan Andolan and Orcha Jan Andolan in Chhattisgarh, and the District Reserve Guard's crackdown on anti-mining struggle, has said that this is the latest in a "spate of brutal state repression" on the Adivasis.
Calling it a "concerted effort by the Indian state to uproot the ongoing mass movement against the corporate minings", it regretted, mining projects are being carried out "without the permission of the Gram Sabhas of the affected villages, which is mandated under the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act (PESA), 1996. Implementation of PESA is one of many demands of multiple ongoing mass movements..."

Text:

It has come to our notice that the leader of Mad Bachao Manch, Orcha (Orcha Jan Andolan) Tirumal Lakhma Koram and one Ranu Podyam were arrested by police forces of Rawghat Camp at around 4PM on 9th December 2023, when they were traveling back to Modanaar Jan Andolan and Orcha Jan Andolan, after attending Bechaghat movement anniversary event.
On 9th December 2023, Adivasi villagers of Kanker marked the 2nd anniversary of the Kanker’s Bechaghat movement against the construction of BSF camp and bridge, which was done without the consent of the Gram Sabhas.
Later that day around 5 pm, Narayanpur Police also arrested Tirumal Shankar Kashyap, President of Adivasi Adhikar Bachao Manch, (Banglapara – Modanaar Jan Andolan), along with another member, Tirumal Samlu Koram from Narayanpur.
It is pertinent to mention that a few days ago a brutal crackdown was unleashed by District Reserve Guards (DRG) on the Orcha Jan Andolan. We are witnessing a spate of brutal state repression in these Adivasi regions. These are to be identified as a concerted effort by the Indian state to uproot the ongoing mass movement against the corporate minings and unprecedented militarization through multiple paramilitary camps.
It is important to mention here that all these projects are being carried out without the permission of the Gram Sabhas of affected villages, which is mandated under the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act (PESA), 1996. Implementation of PESA is one of many demands of multiple ongoing mass movements in Bastar.

The objective of brutal crackdowns by corporate-state nexus is not hard to establish, which is to displace the indigenous people and intensify the loot of natural resources. Evidently, these are desperate attacks to isolate almost 40 mass movements in different regions of Bastar that are opposing rapacious corporate mining, para-military camps, fake encounters, fake surrenders and mass arrests.

Through these forced surrenders and mass arrests, the state is aiming to break the fighting resolve of the masses resisting corporate plunder. The targeted arrests of leadership of these movements is a well laid out strategy to render these movements leaderless and crush them under military boots.

The arrest of 8 leaders of Damkondawahi Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (Surjagarh-Gadchiroli) and its continuation in Narayanpur and Kanker is a clear indication of this pattern unfolding, one after the other and often simultaneously.

This strategy to render movements leader-less and cadre-less is an intrinsic aspect of Operation Samadhan-Prahar, which strives to intensify plunder of our people’s resources and destruction of Jal-Jungle-Jameen.
The Forum against Corporatization and Militarization strongly condemns the arrest of Tirumal Lakhma Koram, Ranu Podyam, Tirumal Shankar Kashyap, Tirumal Samlu Koram and demands their unconditional release.
We also appeal to civil society members, democratic rights activists and organizations, students, professors, progressive democratic mass organizations, peasant and working-class organisations as well as all democratic and peace loving people to oppose these malicious attacks on the masses struggling for protection of country's resources and expose the corporate-state nexus of plunder.
---
*Constituents: All India Students Association (AISA), All India Revolution Students Organization (AIRSO), All India Revolutionary Women’s Organization (AIRWO), Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Students Organization (BASO), Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (bsCEM), Collective, Common Teachers Forum (CTF), Democratic Students Union (DSU), Mazdoor Adhikar Sanghathan (MAS), Nazariya Magazine, Progressive Lawyers Association (PLA), Trade Union Centre of India (TUCI), Vishwavidyalaya Chhatra Federation (VCF)

Comments

NYT: RSS 'infiltrates' institutions, 'drives' religious divide under Modi's leadership

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive New York Times investigation published on December 26, 2025, chronicles the rise of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) — characterized as a far-right Hindu nationalist organization — from a shadowy group founded in 1925 to the world's largest right-wing force, marking its centenary in 2025 with unprecedented influence and mainstream acceptance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi , who joined the RSS as a young boy and later became a full-time campaigner before being deputized to its political wing in the 1980s, delivered his strongest public tribute to the group in his August 2025 Independence Day address. Speaking from the Red Fort , he called the RSS a "giant river" with dozens of streams touching every aspect of Indian life, praising its "service, dedication, organization, and unmatched discipline." The report describes how the RSS has deeply infiltrated India's institutions — government, courts, police, media, and academia — ...

Domestic vote-bank politics 'behind official solidarity' with Bangladeshi Hindus

By Sandeep Pandey, Faisal Khan The Indian government has registered a protest with Bangladesh over the mob lynching of two Hindus—Deepu Chandra Das in Mymensingh and Amrit Mandal in Rajbari. In its communication, the government cited a report by the Association of Hindus, Buddhists and Christian Unity Council, which claims that more than 2,900 incidents of killings, arson, and land encroachments targeting minorities have taken place since the interim government assumed power in Bangladesh.

Dalit woman student’s death sparks allegations of institutional neglect in Himachal college

By A Representative A Dalit rights organisation has alleged severe caste- and gender-based institutional violence leading to the death of a 19-year-old Dalit woman student at Government Degree College, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, and has demanded arrests, resignations, and an independent inquiry into the case.

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

Gig workers’ strike halts platforms, union submits demands to Labour Ministry

By A Representative India’s gig economy witnessed an partial disruption on December 31, 2025, as a large number of delivery workers, app-based service providers, and freelancers across the country participated in a nationwide strike called by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU). The strike, which followed days of coordinated protests, shut down major platforms including Zomato , Swiggy , Blinkit , Zepto , Flipkart , and BigBasket in several areas.

2025 was not just a bad year—it was a moral failure, it normalised crisis

By Atanu Roy* The clock has struck midnight. 2025 has passed, and 2026 has arrived. Firecrackers were already bursting in celebration. If this is merely a ritual, like Deepavali, there is little to comment on. Otherwise, I find 2025 to have been a dismal year, weighed down by relentless odds—perhaps the worst year I have personally witnessed.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

Search This Blog