Three professors from Delhi, who addressed a group of villagers in Maoist-hit Bastar a couple of days back, appeared to have kicked up a controversy.
Professor Archana Prasad from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Vineet Tiwari from Joshi Research Institute and Professor Nandini Sundar from Delhi University, who went under the name of professor Richa Keshav, visited Bastar region along with Chhattisgarh State Secretary CPI-M Sanjay Parate.
'Highlighting issues'
According to a press statement issued by Professor Sundar, the delegation visited Bijapur, Sukma, Bastar and Kanker districts between May 12 to May 16 with an aim to highlight the situation of ordinary villagers, who are living through the conflict between the State and the Maoists.
A local police officer, however, said they had received complaints from villagers that they (the professors) had asked them to support the Maoists. Chhattisgarh Home Minister Ram Sewak Paikra also stirred up a controversy after he allegedly called the professors “anti-nationals”.
Sources said the government has formed a committee to look into the merit of the case and decide if an FIR is required to be registered.
Tight-lipped
While Amit Kataria, Collector, Bastar, who is in charge of the law order situation in the district, did not respond to repeated calls and text messages by The Hindu.
The Vice-Chancellor’s of both DU and JNU also refused to comment on the issue.
Professor Sundar, who went to the area under a different name for security reasons, said in the statement: “The focus of the visit was on the situation of ordinary villagers, who are living through the conflict between the state and Maoists. The level of Maoist presence and scale of State repression varies across the districts. IED blasts and killing of informers (by Maoists) are a serious problem everywhere.”
'Wrong focus'
“The fact that the police is not interested in any peaceful and honest approach to the problem is indicated by the planted 'breaking news' they have circulated that 'our' group asked the villagers to side with the Maoists and threatened them that their villages would be burnt by the Maoists if they did not do so,” said Prof. Sundar.
“Nothing could be further from the truth. We feel a proper dialogue process and a genuine people oriented democratic model of development is essential for the well being of the people of Bastar. In the current context neither the State nor the Maoists are addressing this urgent need,” she added.
All attempts to contact the three professors independently proved futile.
