Tribals from Barwani and civil society activists from across Madhya Pradesh have condemned the Barwani district administration's externment notice to a Gandhian tribal rights activist.
Madhuri Krishnaswamy, who is part of a people's organization known as Jagrit Adivasi Dalit Sangathan (JADS), was served the externment notice by Barwani district administration for “obstructing the development work of the administration” and for creating “an atmosphere of fear among the government functionaries” through her organization.
“The externment notice is based on a note prepared by Barwani police detailing old criminal cases against Ms. Krishnaswamy. She has also been provided with some other details that she had asked for along with a 15-day window to reply to the notice,” Barwani collector Shirman Shukla told The Hindu.
Ms. Krishnaswamy, popular as “Madhuri Ben” among the tribals of Barwani, has been instrumental in developing a grassroots movement-demanding rural maternal and child health, labour rights and forest rights-in the remotest and most backward regions of the district.
Last year, she brought to light the horrifying story of Vyapari Bai, a tribal woman who died during labour after 27 hours of pain and absolute lack of medical attention, which sparked national outrage.
The notice has also been condemned by People's Union for Civil Liberties and several other state and national human rights organizations.
Tribals affiliated to JADS called a press conference and condemned the district administration's move calling it part of a conspiracy hatched by political leaders of BJP and Congress in view of next year's assembly elections.
“This reminds us of British times. Is the government scared to face us? It is our constitutional right to organize and agitate and it cannot be taken away by the collector,” said Valsingh, a tribal leader of the JADS.
“If Madhuri Ben is an anti-social element and criminal, then we are all criminals and externment notices should be served to all of us,” he said.
“Extermnent orders should be given not to Madhuri Ben, but to the corrupt administration, functioning under the leadership of the Collector, SP and CEO of the Zilla panchayat, which is sucking the blood of adivasis and usurping our rights by siphoning of crores of rupees that have been allotted for our development,” said a statement issued by the organization.
Keywords: Madhya Pradesh, Tribal activist, Externment notice, District Collector, Civil society activists
It is not surprising that the administration is attempting to silence those who speak for the dispossessed. One hopes for a political formation that has the imagination to bring together all excluded people and to be a strong force in steering public policy to address fundamental issues of development.
I am so horrified and saddened that such things are happening in every part of India. Any one whether in an official position or as part of non-governmental or individual effort, tries to do something for the really needy is treated as a nuisance maker or as a traitor trying to obstruct development by instigating people to take a path of resistance. It is so frightening that India is "developing" at the cost of the basic natural resources on which the majority of the Indians still depend. No country can go forward by annihilating the majority materially poor people and ex-communicating activists who do selfless and sincere service to the people. This has to be condemned at any cost.
This action of serving notice to a hardworking organization is just one more way that the district administration has been obstructing not only the development work but also the normal life and basic survival of the people.
We have seen that in the areas of education, health and employment the peoples' organizations such as Jagriti Adivasi Dalit Sanghatan have played a crucial role in seeing that services are provided. Where a government official is ready to work sincerely, it is with the help of people's organizations that they are able to make progress. This holds not only in Madhya Pradesh but in most of the country. Throughout India, the government must respect the experience and ground level knowledge of an organization like Jagriti Adivasi Dalit Sanghatan and work together with them rather than against them.
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