Author: Biswabrata Goswami
Publication: The Statesman
Date: November 19, 2008
Thirty years have changed little in the tribal-dominated
areas of Midnapore West. Only this time, a section of tribals who are allegedly
close to the ultra-Left CPI-Maoists have come out on the streets, refusing
to be victimised any more.
They are determined to continue their agitation
against the district administration till their demands are met. The "continuous
police atrocities" on tribal youths and women may seem to be the 'apparent'
issue for their agitation, but they are basically trying to woo tribal youths
and women to form a tribal brigade for launching a bigger agitation against
the CPI-M led Left Front government.
Though a section of tribals under the banner
of Sara Bharat Jakat Majhi-Madowa Juan Gaounta announced yesterday that they
will withdraw all their blockades, the apparent crack in tribal unity, has
had little impact in areas adjoining Belpahari, Nayagram, Gopiballavpur and
Lalgarh.
A trip along the forest route from Midnapore
town to Kantapahari via Pirakata reveals that both nature and the state have
been cruel to the villagers of Kantapahari, Harulia, Kumarbandh, Bandhgora,
Pelia, Narcha, Dalilpur, Madhabgarh, Ghoraghat, Bhuladanga and many such villages
across the tribal heartlands of this district. The soil is hard and rocky
and the administration has provided no water for irrigation to pump some life
into this wretched soil.
The result is that, unlike in other parts
of the district, there are only two crops that are cultivated annually, paddy
and potato. For the tribals this means work for only three months in the entire
year ~ in July and August when the seeds are sown and in November and December
when the crop is harvested.
For the rest of the year, they have to roam
in the forests in search of food. Some spend days collecting wooden logs from
forest and these logs are sold to unscrupulous businessman at a meagre price.
"We are being victimised for decades.
No government and no party have worked for us. They have used us for their
interests, but we, the villagers of these areas are still in the dark. We
have repeatedly requested the administration to repair the Hanrulia, Jamboni,
Madhupur and Kutir dams here, but they have done nothing. So, owing to the
acute crisis of water for irrigation, cultivation is suffering every year,"
said Mr Nirmal Ray, a resident of Kantapahari.
Mr Sambhu Soren (name changed on request),
another resident of Harulia alleged, "We have come united to launch agitation
against the police excess. We are often being blamed as Maoists and police
come to our houses and unleash terror on us. How long will we suffer? Time
has come for us to resist this practice and so we have decided to continue
our agitation."
A visit to these areas reveals a very disciplined
agitation guided by some 'unidentified' leaders that is very different from
other organised agitation, which this district has witnessed at different
times over the past few years. These 'unidentified' leaders often call the
villagers in the forests and give instruction.
