Author: Madhavi Tata
Publication: Outlook
Date: May 31, 2010
URL: http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?265516
Introduction: At war with the state, Maoists
now seem okay with civilian casualties
A solemn crowd of teachers, lawyers, businessmen
and students gathers at Shahid Park in Jagdalpur to join an anti-Maoist rally.
It's highly charged. Standing right in front, Pushpa Devi, a college student,
picks up a placard that says, 'Naxal bhagao, chain lao (Chase away Naxals,
bring peace)'. "My mother didn't want me to join the rally, but I just
had to. I too might board a bus to Dantewada tomorrow and never reach there."
In unison, the crowd bursts into slogans.
Rakesh Tiwari, a commerce professor at Danteswari
Girls College, shakes his head in disbelief. "I have read a lot of Naxal
literature and used to understand what their their struggle was about-up to
a point," he says. "But not anymore." Susheel Gurwara, who
trades in automobiles, calls it the beginning of a revolution against a revolution.
"After this attack," he says, "I honestly don't know the difference
between terrorists and Maoists."
On May 17, 31 people, including 15 civilians,
were killed when a landmine blast triggered by Maoists blew up a private bus
going from Dantewada to Sukma. It was one of four vehicles-the others were
trucks-that policemen had halted near Bhusaras for a lift. Around 120 commandos,
SPOs and district constables, tired after a two-day combing operation near
Sukma, were headed for their bases. Many boarded the trucks, but about 50
of them chose the bus. Barely half an hour later, at 5.15 pm, the Maoists
blasted the vehicle near Chingavaram, 43 km from Dantewada. The passengers
hadn't thought the Maoists might attack a bus.
"The Naxals allowed two trucks with SPOs
to go by. But they targeted the bus, which was third in the trail," says
T.G. Longkumer, IG, Bastar zone. "It just goes to prove that the attack
was fully intentional." But why did the SPOs and commandos board a civilian
bus when the standard operating procedure is clear that they should only use
official vehicles and not put civilians at risk? Sources say policemen tend
to use buses used by ordinary people since these are not targeted by the Maoists.
The Chingavaram blast proved that the Maoists have become so virulent they
don't mind if civilians are killed in their attacks on security forces. Asked
why the troops were travelling in a civilian vehicle, Longkumer side-stepped
the question.
At the government hospital in Sukma, 17-year-old
Kosi gazes into space. The blast has left her partially blind and affected
her vocal chords. Her brother Jogesh raises an angry rant against the Maoists.
At the Maharani Hospital in Jagdalpur, Mahadev Matkabi, a farmer, pushes aside
the bananas and biscuits that have been handed out by politicians. Most of
the flesh on his right leg was blown off in the blast and he may never recover
fully. He echoes the same thought voiced by many here: "Why me?"
The Chingavaram incident has triggered several
questions about Maoist ideology itself. "These were the people who would
come seeking rice from villagers and in turn promise them social justice,"
says Kishore Parekh, president, Bastar Chamber of Commerce. "That said,
the government's policy of pumping in more and more forces to eradicate the
Maoists will never work in Chhattisgarh."
Manish Kunjam, the former CPI MLA from Sukma
and president of the Adivasi Mahasabha, says the Maoists have targeted an
entire generation of adivasis after 2005, thanks to state policy of recruiting
tribals to the state-sponsored Salwa Judum to fight them. "But the Maoists
must realise that they may not remain powerful 2-3 years from now. They can
keep fighting for tribal rights but they must shun violence," he says.
"Talks, I feel, are the answer."
