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DAM-L LS: NBA condemns killing of 7 adivasis in police firing (fwd)
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Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2001 16:37:33 -0700 (PDT)
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Subject: LS: NBA condemns killing of 7 adivasis in police firing
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Narmada Bachao Andolan
Jail Road, Mandleshwar,
District Khargone, M.P.
Telefax: 07283-33162
E-mail: nobigdam@vsnl.com
Press Note,6.04.2001
NARMADA BACHAO ANDOLAN CONDEMNS KILLING OF ADIVASIS, DEMANDS CBI ENQUIRY
The Narmada Bachao Andolan expresses deep shock and anguish at the
deliberate and cold-blooded firing on and slaughter of 7 innocent tribals
including a 8-year old girl by the Madhya Pradesh government and police
force in Mehendikheda village of Bagli Tehsil of District Dewas last week.
This ruthless act fully exposes the callous attitude of the Digvijay Singh
government and demolishes its hypocritical mask of genial democracy .
The NBA strongly condemns the killing of the adivasis in Bagli Tehsil and
demands that the Collector and the Superintendent of Police and all
officials present at the site of the killings be immediately suspended and
an independent enquiry by the CBI should be immediately initiated. Moreover
the NBA expresses deep disturbance at the news coming out of the area that
over 10,000 adivasis from 16 villages are living in terror in the forests
while the administration has contaminated the food grain and water sources
of entire villages. The Narmada Bachao Andolan understands that the recent
killing of the Adivasis is not an isolated sporadic or spontaneous event.
It is obvious that the launching of the 'Operation Clean' by the State
government is a sinister conspiracy aimed at breaking adivasi and people's
movements. The NBA asks that the state government clarify before the people
and the nation what the intent and the background of Operation Clean is. Is
it an operation dedicated to new type of ethnic cleansing of Adivasis and
other forest dwellers?
The central issue that Adivasis all over Madhya Pradesh have been raising
in the last two decades is who will control the forests of Madhya Pradesh:
The tribal communities who have sustained these forests over generation and
who depend on the bounty of the forests for their livelihoods or the forest
department whose main interest in the forests seems to be commerce and
corruption? It is ironical that on the one hand the government is
submerging over fifty thousand hectares of prime forest in the Indira Sagar
project, Sardar Sarovar project, Bargi dam, Omkareshwar project, all part
of the Narmada valley development projects without scarce a murmur, while
on the other, in the garb of protecting forest, the government is denying
adivasis their traditional rights over forests, and the ensuing conflicts
over this issue has resulted in this irresponsible and merciless massacre
of and attack on adivasis in 16 villages of Dewas district.
In the last few decades, in fact, ever since independence, the stranglehold
of the administration over the forests, which was the hallmark of the
British colonial rule, was sought to be furthered by the State
administration with the adivasis systematically being alienated from
forests and forest produce. Their traditional rights denied and usurped as
the forest bureaucracy in the shape of forest officials continued to rule
over the lives of the forest adivasis in the most reprehensible feudal
manner levying periodical dues of chicken, liquor, money and even going to
the extent of exercising rights of co-habitation with newly married women.
Since the 1980 's, many independent peoples organizations and organisations
of tribals rose in response to this and challenged the crushing indignity
being forced on the people. As a result, in the areas where the people's
organizations worked these feudal modes were dispensed off and the Adivasis
were able to regain their self respect. It was also in these areas that
there was a thaw in the hitherto alienated relationship of the adivasi with
the forest. For example, thousands of acres of forest have been regenerated
by the tribals of Alirajpur in district Jhabua working under the aegis of
Khedut Mazdoor Chetna Sanghat with their own effort by the creation of
social protection structures.
In the mid 90's even as the forces of globalisation began tightening its
hold over the lands, waters and forests of Third World countries including
those used by indigenous communities, the Madhya Pradesh government
conceived the World Bank Forestry project of 800 crores. The first phase of
the project saw enormous repression including the killing of 4 people and
the maiming of 8 forest dwellers in the forests of Madhya Pradesh and
large-scale alienation of thousands of acres of traditionally cultivated
'newad' lands from tribals who had held these lands for decades but to
which they held no formal title because of problems of land settlement and
lack of conversion of forest villages in to revenue lands. Further in the
last five years, indiscriminate and cruel displacement of adivasis took
place in the name of sanctuaries and national parks and the eviction of
adivasis from proposed and existing sanctuaries to prevent 'human
intervention' on one hand, while on the other government itself
indiscriminately promoted the proliferation of tourism and tourist lodges
in these forest areas.
In the last few years the mass tribal organizations including Kisan
Adivasi Sanghatan, Shramik Adivasi Sanghatan, Adivasi Mukti Sanghatan,
Adivasi Morcha Sanghatan, Khedut Mazdoor Chetna Sangh, Narmada Bachao
Andolan and others launched a joint struggle against the World Bank
forestry project. Subsequently the WB was forced to cancel the second
tranche of the loan. It is learnt from reliable sources that the Madhya
Project government is conferring with the WB and other funding agencies in
order to renew the same WB project in a new avatar. It is also learnt that
the WB has agreed with a few cosmetic changes to the Forestry Project the
main condition being the creation of a new forest policy. The MP government
has shamelessly accepted the Worl Bank dictate by setting out a new forest
policy without any public debate whatsoever , and with the full knowledge
of the fact that the forest issue is the most contentious issue in the
State.
The anti- tribal character of the administration stands exposed by the fact
that on one hand, the State administration and police are indiscriminately
firing on and killing innocent adivasis in Dewas in the name of protection
of forests, while on the other, hundreds of adivasis affected by the Man
project in district Dhar were beaten up, arrested and kept in jail for over
a week last fortnight while the construction of the Project is being
carried on by the administration with the full knowledge that the ensuing
submergence will uproot over 5000 tribals this monsoon itself who are yet
to be rehabilitated.
It is clear that attacking peaceful, open and democratic movements in such
vulgar fashion cannot be justified and will have long term implications for
the state of Madhya Pradesh. The NBA believes any magisterial enquiry into
the firing is intended only to whitewash the issue. It demands that a CBI
enquiry should be immediately initiated and the Superintendent of Police,
Collector DFO and other officials present on spot should be immediately
suspended as well as charged with culpable homicide.The Narmada Bachao
Andolan demands that under no circumstances can external intervention such
as WB aided forestry projects dictate forest policies.
Chittaroopa Palit Kailash Awasia Luharia Shankaria Alok
Agarwal
Vania Bhawra Clifton D'Rozario
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