Skip to main content

Concerted, organised civil rights stir is lacking against Operation Kagar

By Harsh Thakor* 

The entire country has been engulfed with barbaric oppression, with unparalleled destruction of constitutional organs for the past ten years. The emergency of 1975-77 has been more than ressurected by the present regime. and more repressive than the post-liberalisation period ushered in by PV Narasimha Rao. Neo-fascsim has been on ascendancy, as never before.
When two revolutionary parties merged to form the CPI-Maoist, PM in 2009 declared that “Naxalites are the biggest threat to internal security. It was the precursor of unprecedented military campaign in the name of Operation Green Hunt .Operation Kagar even if being an offshoot of is even more merciless than Operation Green hunt, with aim to establish a Corporate Hindu Rashtra.
Dandakaranya, sowed seeds for a wave of social upheavals and cultural experiments imperative, for India. It has witnessed waves of unparalleled violence for four decades. However at this juncture, in Operation Kagar (The Final Mission), with deployment of more than a hundred thousand paramilitary forces supported by drones, helicopters, and satellite surveillance, war of aggression has scaled a boiling point, unprecedented, turning into genocide. Operation Kagar is staged to be the final nail in the coffin to wipe out it’s most powerful adversary in the quest for establishment of the Corporate Hindutva state.

Background

The BJP is working to win for the third time in the General Elections. The installation of Ram in Ayodhya, the introduction of CAA to completely marginalise the Muslims from their own land, and attempts to bring a Uniform Civil Code by the saffron government to legalise the Hindu Brahmanical culture planted the seeds to turn India into a Brahminical Hindutva fascist state. On the economic front, all trade, business services, and natural wealth are being placed at the mercy of corporatisation. War on Dandakaranya is part and parcel ofr this very goal.
Militarization in Central India is integrated with corporatization and the penetration of large companies into India’s rich forests. Under the pretext or garb of combating the Maoists, these operations form a leeway for the loot of the country’s natural resources by large foreign corporations.
The reactionary state and its corporate accomplices and imperialist countries drool over Abujhmaad as it is considered to be one of the last places in India that has not been plundered and the forest remains protected.
Patronising the monopoly of finance capital, wearing the garb of constitutional democracy; this war aims to capture or plunder natural resources to mega-corporations. Relentless resistance in Dandakaranya against the large-scale corporatisation of its natural wealth beneath the earth provoked the rulers to convert Dandakaranya into one of the most intensive military zones. For over 3 decades. The government considers the Adivasi movement a thorn in the flesh to their corporatisation objectives. Ironically, the seizure of the so-called remotest areas has become a pivotal problem for the Centre.
After the Abhuj Maad incident, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that “the Maoist movement was the biggest enemy of development and they would liberate the country soon.” It expresses that the Maoist movement as the most potent threat among the existing mass movements rising against corporatisation in the country. The Central government’s slogans – “We will liberate the country from the Maoist movement and hand over the country’s wealth to the corporate”– reflect the same. The present Operation Kagar, though part of Operation Samadhan-Prahar, which started in 2017 is in a qualitative sense a different type of military campaign.
Mainstream media and even the alternative media are camouflaging or keeping deep silence on these genocides. Media personnel are distorting truth by stating that armed forces are killing tribal people out of panic.

BJP Offensive 

Immediately after the BJP grabbed power in Chhattisgarh, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, stated the Maoist movement will be eradicated completely; and State Home Minister Vijay Sharma was ready to talk with the Maoists. Inspite of two contradictory views from the state, but they served a single purpose. One was complete extermination. So, hundreds of thousands of CRPF BSF, and other local forces were moved to Dandakaranya. The second was the call for negotiations. The conditions laid down for the talks were for causing no obstruction to the construction of roads and mining in the forest area.
Within no time, six base camps were set up in one Maad area in direct violation of favourable conditions assured.
Instead of finding a political solution to the conflict. the government shamelessly acted on behest of the corporates and proposed negotiations to safeguard the prospects of mining barons.
The BJP government made all these preparations in a most explosive fashion. On New Years Day, the security forces attacked Muddum village, near Gangalur, in the Bijapur district, and killed a toddler- Mangli- in the lap of her mother while she was being breastfed. On April 2, 13 Maoists were killed in an encounter at Korcholi in Bijapur district Four months into this year, 80 adivasis and revolutionaries were murdered in cold blood the name of encounters.
On April 16, 29 revolutionaries, including at least 12 women, were killed in an attack in a joint operation by the BSF]and the State police in the Maad area. It was part of a new war called Operation Kagar [Final Mission] by the Central Government. The North Block in Delhi deployed maximum forces to Dandakaranya [official figures -80,000] to capture the Abuzmad [Unknown Maad] area.
Aerial bombing was also carried out for the fifth time on January 13 as a continuation of the aerial attacks carried out by the previous Congress government Before embarking on this final battle, Amit Shah stated that the next General Elections would be held in the country liberated of Maoists meaning that his forces would completely extinguish the Maoists from the face map of India by 2024. The RSS’ official press announced that 2047 was the goal of realising the Hindu state. The Maoist movement is a thorn in the flesh of their ‘New India’ and the establishment of a Hindu state. The Sangh Parivar wants the Hindu Rashtra based on Hindutva and an aggressive political and economic foundation. Thus the Centre is giving making intensive war preparations and spending more than a lakh crores rupees in the budget to wipe out revolutionary movement completely.

Conclusion

As long as the revolutionary movement unfolds, it is not possible for such a ‘New India’ on the lines of corporate Hindutva, to be established.Central India has hosted at least fourteen major mass struggles in the last three years. These political and economic struggles are sprouting save forests, water, and lands. Millions of people have been relentlessly waging a battle against lack of bridges and roads, ill effects of mining and tourism, propaganda of Hindutva, and anti-farmer, unconstitutional laws. Governments at the Centre and the states were made to shiver in their spine and feeling that the previous Samadhan operation could not check the escalating mass movement inducted Misssion Kagar by equipping security.
The PLGA and CPI (Maoist) were the principal guides to the Adivasis in Abujhmaad in their life and death struggle for the environment, their land and livelihood. The Maoist party  has published a most illustrative and positive statement to spark people’s resistance from every sphere. However still there has to be integration of mainstream movement. A concerted or organised civil liberties or democratic rights movement is lacking, like in Andhra Pradesh in yesteryears or Punjab, in recent times, which significantly confronted state repression.
It is imperative now for the Maoists to act or work within the manifold of mainstream movements the day to day struggles of the people and not subject them to the dictate of armed squads. The Maoists have not sufficiently integrated in mass mobilisation of people, particularly the urban working class and failed to build a broad united front. It has not built genuine mass revolutionary resistance to combat the neo-fascist genocide of the Saffron BJP party and even in protests failed to recruit the people at large. Nor has it spurred the civil rights movement. Rarely to we witness genuine mass based protests of tribals or people at large.
It is always fresh in memory that what principally combated precursor of Kagar genocide, Operation Greenhunt, was the Democratic Front against Operation Greenhunt in Punjab and not the CPI(Maoist) armed activities .It is imperative for mass conventions or rallies to be held all over the country, particularly linking to urban working class. Today many democratic forums like Campaign against state repression are not successful in establishing link with working class.
---
*Freelance journalist. Thanks information from Red Herald and Virasam

Comments

TRENDING

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu.  He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

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 ...

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

Justice for Zubeen Garg: Fans persist as investigations continue in India and Singapore

By Nava Thakuria*  Even a month after the death of Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg in Singapore under mysterious circumstances, thousands of his fans and admirers across eastern India continue their campaign for “ JusticeForZubeenGarg .” A large digital campaign has gained momentum, with over two million social media users from around the world demanding legal action against those allegedly responsible. Although the Assam government has set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT), which has arrested seven people, and a judicial commission headed by Justice Soumitra Saikia of the Gauhati High Court to oversee the probe, public pressure for justice remains strong.

Gujarat agate worker, who fought against bondage, died of silicosis, won compensation

Raju Parmar By Jagdish Patel* This is about an agate worker of Khambhat in Central Gujarat. Born in a Vankar family, Raju Parmar first visited our weekly OPD clinic in Shakarpur on March 4, 2009. Aged 45 then, he was assigned OPD No 199/03/2009. He was referred to the Cardiac Care Centre, Khambhat, to get chest X-ray free of charge. Accordingly, he got it done and submitted his report. At that time he was working in an agate crushing unit of one Kishan Bhil.

Budget for 2018-19: Ahmedabad authorities "regularly" under-spend allocation

By Mahender Jethmalani* The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC's) General Body (Municipal Board) recently passed the AMC’s annual budget estimates of Rs 6,990 crore for 2018-19. AMC’s revenue expenditure for the next financial year is Rs 3,500 crore and development budget (capital budget) is Rs 3,490 crore.

Licy Bharucha’s pilgrimage into the lives of India’s freedom fighters

By Moin Qazi* Book Review: “Oral History of Indian Freedom Movement”, by Dr Licy Bharucha; Pp240; Rs 300; Published by National Museum of Indian Freedom Movement The Congress has won political freedom, but it has yet to win economic freedom, social and moral freedom. These freedoms are harder than the political, if only because they are constructive, less exciting and not spectacular. — Mahatma Gandhi The opening quote of the book by Mahatma Gandhi sums up the true objective of India’s freedom struggle. It also in essence speaks for the multitudes of brave and courageous individuals who aspired to get themselves jailed for the cause of the country’s freedom. A jail term was a strong testimony and credential of patriotism for them. The book has been written by Dr Licy Bharucha, an academically trained political scientist and a scholar of peace studies and Gandhian studies, who was closely associated throughout her life with those who made the struggle for India’s independence the primar...

Warning bells for India: Tribal exploitation by powerful corporate interests may turn into international issue

By Ashok Shrimali* Warning bells are ringing for India. Even as news drops in from Odisha that Adivasi villages, one after another, are rejecting the top UK-based MNC Vedanta's plea for mining, a recent move by two senior scholars Felix Padel and Samarendra Das suggests the way tribals are being exploited in India by powerful international and national business interests may become an international issue. In fact, one has only to count days when things may be taken up at the United Nations level, with India being pushed to the corner. Padel, it may be recalled, is a major British authority on indigenous peoples across the world, with several scholarly books to his credit.