Skip to main content

Human rights group condemns 'escalation of state violence' in Chhattisgarh, demands release of detained activists

By A Representative 
The advocacy group, Campaign for Peace and Justice in Chhattisgarh (CPJC), in a statement has condemned what it called "recent surge in state-led violence, arbitrary arrests, and extrajudicial killings of members of the Moolvasi Bachao Manch (MBM) and local villagers in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district." Following events on November 7 and 8, which it said included the abduction and killing of citizens, CPJC described the incidents as a continuation of severe human rights abuses in a region increasingly marked by military presence.
On November 8, CPJC said, the security forces detained eight prominent MBM activists, including Arjun Sodhi, Muiya Hemla, and Ganesh Kattam, during an operation in Gundiraguda village. The crackdown expanded across nine villages, where 44 individuals were reportedly detained without due process, sparking grave concerns about their safety.
In addition to these arrests, the deaths of two young men—Hidma Podiam, under 16, and Joga Kunjam, around 20—were reported, allegedly in a sudden shooting by security forces. Local witnesses have called the shootings indiscriminate, while police framed the incident as part of their anti-Naxal operations, alleged CPJC. Questions persist regarding the identities and motives attributed to the deceased, leaving families and community members in shock, it added.
The CPJC further questioned the government’s reported figures, which claim 192 “Naxalites” killed and 782 arrests in 2024 alone, alongside 783 alleged surrenders. The group warned that these numbers may conceal cases of illegal detention and forced recruitment, pointing out discrepancies with official estimates of Maoist cadres.
The organization also highlighted the militarization of Bastar as detrimental to Adivasi communities, citing initiatives like the Niyad Nellanar project, which links basic services to the establishment of security camps. It argued, this policy has created a "state of siege," with over 300 camps in the region disrupting local rights and way of life.
The CPJC noted that MBM and other grassroots organizations have long protested peacefully against land dispossession, environmental exploitation, and militarization. They also criticized the deployment of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a battalion comprising surrendered Naxalites and local youth, calling it a violation of the Supreme Court’s 2011 Salwa Judum ruling, which bans the recruitment of tribal youth in counterinsurgency efforts.
In response, the CPJC issued a list of demands:
1. Immediate release of the detained MBM members and villagers, along with an end to the harassment of peaceful protesters.
2. Independent investigation into alleged staged encounters, including the deaths of Hidma Podiam and Joga Kunjam, with full transparency and accountability.
3. End to militarized development, calling for a halt to security camps and schemes like Niyad Nellanar, which restrict community access to basic rights under the guise of development.
4. Adherence to Supreme Court orders, urging the state to stop using tribal youth in paramilitary roles in line with the 2011 ruling.
The CPJC implored the government to rethink its approach and prioritize dialogue over militarization, pledging to continue monitoring and documenting human rights violations in the region.

Comments

TRENDING

How natural and organic farming can be a key to combating the climate crisis

By Raj Kumar Sinha*  On July 9, while addressing the “Sahkar Samvad” in Ahmedabad with women and workers associated with cooperatives from Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, Union Home Minister Amit Shah emphasized that natural farming is essential for both our health and the health of the soil. This is a significant statement in the context of addressing the climate change crisis. Natural farming can play a crucial role in combating climate change. Also known as organic farming, it is a system of agriculture that can increase food production without harming the environment. Natural farming has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by 35% to 50%.

100 yrs of RSS as seen by global media house: Power, controversy, push for Hindu-first India

By Rajiv Shah  On a blistering summer evening in Nagpur, nearly a thousand men in brown trousers, white shirts, and black caps stood in formation as a saffron flag was raised, marking a graduation ceremony for Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers. This vivid scene, described in a recent FT Weekend Magazine article, “A hundred years after it was founded, India's Hindu-nationalist movement is getting closer to its goal of a Hindu-first state,” captures the enduring presence of the RSS, a century-old Hindu-nationalist organization.

Top US thinktank probe questions ECI's institutional integrity, democratic fairness

By Rajiv Shah   In a comprehensive analysis published in "Indian Politics & Policy" (Vol. 5, No. 1, Summer 2025), a research periodical of the Washington DC-based think tank Policy Studies Organization, author Milan Vaishnav, Senior Fellow and Director, South Asia Programme, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, has raised questions over the fairness of the Election Commission of India (ECI) in conducting Lok Sabha elections. Titled “Assessing the Integrity of India’s 2024 Lok Sabha Elections,” the analysis acquires significance as it precedes recent controversies surrounding the ECI’s move to revise electoral rolls.

Another 'honor' killing in Tamil Nadu: Caste pride has murdered love, again

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  Once again, Tamil Nadu has witnessed a brutal so-called 'honor' killing. This time, it is Kevin Selvaganesh, a 27-year-old software engineer from the Scheduled Caste community, who has been hacked to death by the family of the girl he loved since childhood. Kevin, a brilliant student employed at Tata Consultancy Services, was in a relationship with Subashini, his schoolmate and girlfriend. The couple, both well-educated and professionally qualified, had plans to marry. Yet, that love story ended in bloodshed — sacrificed at the altar of caste pride.

Why is India’s cheetah project under fire? Study flags ecological, social, species injustices

  By Rajiv Shah  A recent peer-reviewed study has sharply criticized Project Cheetah—India’s high-profile initiative to reintroduce African cheetahs into the wild—as ethically compromised, scientifically flawed, and socially unjust. Titled “Delineating the Environmental Justice Implications of an Experimental Cheetah Introduction Project in India”, the paper is authored by Yashendu C. Joshi, Stephanie E. Klarmann, and Louise C. de Waal, and was published in  Frontiers in Conservation Science.

The myth of population decline: India’s real challenge is density, not fertility

By N.S. Venkataraman*   India’s population in 2025 stands at approximately 1.4 billion. In 1950, it was 359 million, rising sharply to 1.05 billion by 2000. The population continues to grow and is projected to reach around 1.7 billion by 2050.

Siang dam project sparks debate over security, development, and displacement in Arunachal

By Aarna Gupta*  The proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh, India, has emerged as a contentious initiative shaped by strategic, environmental, and social concerns. Indian officials, including Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, have voiced strong support for the project. One of the primary motivations is China’s plan to build a 60,000 MW hydropower dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo River (the upper stretch of the Brahmaputra) in Tibet, which Indian authorities see as a threat to water and national security. In response, the 11,000 MW Siang Dam, with its 9 billion cubic meter reservoir, is viewed as a necessary countermeasure to manage water flow and reduce vulnerability.

Shanghai Textbook reassessed: Between revolutionary rhetoric and economic reality

By Harsh Thakor  "Maoist Economics and the Revolutionary Road to Communism: The Shanghai Textbook on Socialist Political Economy" (1975) presents a detailed exposition of the Chinese perspective on socialist political economy under Mao . Developed during the Cultural Revolution, it outlines a theoretical framework for the functioning of a socialist alternative to capitalism. The book was formulated under the direction of Zhang Chunqiao, who played a central role in discussions, content planning, and final reviews of the draft.

Trump’s tariff tactics are a geopolitical bully move that may backfire

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent move to impose high tariffs on Indian goods is yet another example of his aggressive, unilateralist economic policy—an attempt to pressure and punish rather than to negotiate. This is not an isolated action. Trump has shown similar hostility toward other countries aligned with the BRICS bloc—Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa—reflecting his disdain for multipolar global cooperation and his desire to maintain American economic supremacy at all costs.