A fact-finding team of civil rights groups which visited Dantewada in Chhattisgarh this month has demanded an impartial enquiry into the incidents of murder, arson, loot and torture on September 17 and October 1 allegedly committed by security forces during the anti-naxalite operations.
In a press release here on Friday, the team urged the government to immediately implement the Supreme Court order on rehabilitation of villages. According to it, the incidents have “created fear and panic and compelled villagers to flee. Unless the government implements the Supreme Court order, villagers will not be able to live in their villages.”
The team demanded an end to the cordon-and-search operations by the security forces in certain areas in tribal-dominated Dantewada district.
“Lack of rehabilitation coupled with an ever-increasing size of the paramilitary forces in such backward areas with low population density raises fears of such incidents being repeated,” it said.
The team claimed that on the two dates mentioned, security forces and Salwa Judum leaders went on the “rampage” in Gachanpalli, Gompad and Chintagufa villages. Alleging that the details were kept away from public scrutiny, it wanted the government to accept responsibility for the incidents, file FIRs against those responsible and compensate the villagers.
‘No greenhunt’
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram told journalists that there was no anti-naxal operation called “greenhunt” which had been launched by the security forces. “I do not know from where this name came. We will give all assistance to the States as per their request to combat the challenge posed by Maoists,” he added.
