The outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) has warned to carry out another Jiram Ghati-like attack in response to the second phase of anti-Maoist militia Salwa Judum in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.
Maoists had >brutally killed Salwa Judum founder and Congress leader Mahendra Karma and 27 others in Jiram Ghati of Bastar in May 2013. The attack had almost wiped out entire Congress leadership in Chhattisgarh.
Mahendra Karma’s son Chhavindra Karma and former leaders of the anti-Maoists militia gathered in Dantewada district on May 5 and >declared the formation of “Vikas Sangharsh Samiti” which will carry forward the work of Salwa Judum in Bastar.
“This Salwa Judum-2 is nothing but a Hindutva fascist BJP government-sponsored murderous goons gangster organization formed by the Congress Karma family and the goons of BJP and anti-people elements,” said CPI (Maoist) Danda Karanya Special Zonal Committee (ZKSZC) spokesperson Gudsa Usendi, in a press statement.
“It will act as a supportive organization to the Greenhunt (alleged anti-Maoist campaign by the government). All these initiatives are actually campaigns to repress the people. The Salwa Judum-2 in the name of peace and development is to sell off the natural property of the state to the domestic and foreign capitalists. It is to intensify a fascist military and repressive campaign on the masses,” claimed Usendi.
The Maoist spokesperson warned that “the revolutionary movement and the people’s war would avenge the present Salwa Judum-2 like it did to Mahendra Karma and the other goons of Salwa Judum (in Jiram Ghati attack)”.
Calling for a strong resistance to Salwa Judum-2, the Maoist leader appealed to the masses of Bastar, mainly the Tribals to become alert towards the “anti-repressive campaign” on the people that would displace them from their jal, jungle, zameen (water, forest and land) and also to put a vigil on those who become part of it.
“This campaign is a big danger to the Tribals and non-Tribal people of Bastar. So we appeal to Tribals, non-Tribals, social organizations, sarva adivasi samaj and the sarva samaj not only to stay away from this anti-people campaign but also to stand in strong opposition to it,” he added.
Recounting the “uncountable atrocities on the people, murders, massacres, fake encounters, encounters, sexual atrocities on women, loot, burning of houses, fake arrests, putting people in jail, long and life imprisonments, destruction of hundreds of villages, forcing people into concentration camps in the name of relief camps” during the first edition of Salwa Judum, Usendi claimed that more than one lakh people had migrated from Bastar to Telangana and Odisha “out of terror and fear” and tens of thousands of people became homeless and forced to take shelter in the forest.
“Thousands of Tribal youths were forced to become SPOs (Special Police Officer) out of fear, terror and greed. It should be noted that first Salva Judum too was propagated to be a peace campaign. We appeal to the progressive, democratic intellectuals, writers, teachers, lawyers, media persons, human rights organizations of the country and the world to come on to the roads in protest to this anti-people, fascist organized campaign,” Usendi appealed.
However, Chhavindra Karma said that he would continue with "Salwa Judum-2" to bring "peace and development" to Bastar.
"My family has a history of sacrifice. These threats don't scare me. The Maoists are somewhere scared of our initiative," said Mr. Karma.
