http://sanhati.com/articles/5002/April 30, 2012
PUDR condemns the Central Governments admission of its `arrest or
kill’ policy against Naxalites, before the Standing Committee on Home
Affairs by the Home Secretary, Mr. R.K. Singh on April 4, 2012.
From the time, that the Prime Minister first identified `Left Wing
Extremism’ as the single largest threat, to the massive deployment of
paramilitary forces in anti-naxal operations under the code-named
Operation Green Hunt, to the latest disclosure, there can be very little
doubt over the fact that when it comes to Maoists, the Indian State
does not believe in respecting its commitments to constitutional norms
concerning lives and liberties of its citizens.
Fact findings conducted in Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West
Bengal by PUDR and other democratic rights organizations have pointed to
cases of increasing intimidation, arrests, torture, custodial rape,
targeted killings and encounters in the course of Operation Green Hunt.
To date, none of the officials perpetuating such crimes have been
brought to trial. In fact Governments have gone out of their way to
award some senior officials like Ankit Garg SP of Dantewada, on whose
orders Soni Sori, a tribal accused of being a Maoist was raped and
tortured, with Gallantry medals.
Despite the Planning Commission’s own report on the social roots of
Maoism, the Indian State has persisted with military suppression and
refused to back down from its savage war for development.
The latest admission brings out the nature of the `dirty war’ being
fought by the Government to benefit corporatist development. It also
brings out the hypocrisy of the parliament and the opinion-makers who
acquiesce, if not sanction, policy of individual annihilation by the
government forces.
Paramjeet Singh and Preeti Chauhan
Secretaries
