At the cost of Adivasi rights? Security camps in Central India meant to ‘promote' corporate interests

By Jag Jivan*
According to the Home Minister, Amit Shah, 250 security camps have been established in Bastar after 2019. There are camps roughly at a distance of every 2 or 5 km, turning Bastar into one vast cantonment. In February 2024, the IG Bastar announced 50 additional camps. This makes Bastar into one of the most militarised regions of the country with 1 security person to every 9 civilians.
In the last few years, there have been large-scale democratic protests by Adivasis communities across the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh against the proliferation of security camps on their lands. In some cases, such as at Silger in Sukma District, these protests have been continuing for over three years.
The government claims that setting up camps is necessary to ensure ‘area domination’. It also claims that the paramilitary camps are necessary for laying roads, constructing schools, health centres and voting booths, all of which are needed for state services. The government also claim that the protests against the camps are ‘Maoist instigated’ as they are nervous about the incursion of security forces.

A group of concerned citizens came together in February 2023 to investigate the claims and counter claims, and released a report: ‘Security and Insecurity, Bastar Division, Chhattisgarh, 2023 – 2024’ at the Press Club. The press conference was also addressed by speakers from Jharkhand and Odisha about the situation in those states.
The team found that most of the camps are set up on Adivasis’ private or community property without their consent and in severe violation of the Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), the Scheduled Tribes (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act of 2006 and fifth schedule provisions. There are rampant human rights violations in the proximity of camps.
Harassments by security forces have become common. Even the weekly market, which is the lifeline for the communities, and the regular purchases have been subject to monitoring and police controls.

The people told the factfinding team that they were not opposed to roads per se but would like a say in how and where these roads are being built. The layout and width of the roads makes it quite clear in many cases that they are meant to facilitate mining operations. On one hand, these camps and roads are being built without people’s consent. On the other, as of 2022, 51 mining leases have been granted in the Bastar region, of which only 14 are with the Public Sector.

The proliferation of camps has been accompanied by mass arrests. Framing people under Maoist charges is an easy way to silence their legitimate constitutional demands. Based on official figures, 6804 arrests have been made in Bastar region from 2011 to 2022. There is also a spike in the incidents of extrajudicial killings of alleged Naxalites and civilians. Between 1 Jan and 15 July 2024, there were 141 killings.
The situation is similar in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district where at least 30 camps were setup in the last four years in the Saranda and Kolhan forests. Most of these camps have been set up in areas that currently fall in the conservation/no-mining zone as per the Management Plan for Sustainable Mining (MPSM), 2018 of the Ministry.

Along with setting up the camps, the state and central governments are actively working towards amending the MPSM to allow mining in the conservation zone. There has been a significant increase in illegal detentions, false cases and dayto-day violence against the Adivasis there.
The factfinding team and the speakers are of the unequivocal opinion that proliferation of paramilitary camps, set up in violation of several laws, in Bastar and other Adivasi areas is an imposition on local Adivasis.

The peaceful democratic protests against the camps have been ignored, or worse, suppressed using brutal methods, from lathi charge to burning the sites to firing on the protestors. It is very apparent that the real purpose of the camps is to protect and promote corporate interests, particularly mining interests, at the cost of Adivasi lives and Constitutional rights.
The need of the hour is respect for law, an end to human rights violations, implementation of PESA, FRA 2006, fifth schedule provisions in letter and spirit, a serious attention to people’s grievances and a fixed timeline for withdrawal of camps set up against people’s consent.

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*Freelance writer. The report can be downloaded here

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