Orissa: Villagers killed in fake encounter: An investigation

Following an outcry against the alleged killing of five tribals/Maoists in an ‘encounter’, near Bhaliaguda village of Gajapati district of Odisha, we visited Odisha to understand what had actually unfolded and who the people died were. Our investigation revealed that all the five men killed were not armed militia of any left-wing extremist party. Those killed were, in fact, daily wage earners and church functionaries, some of whom were actively engaged in mainstream political and social activities. The facts of the case, as found by the us are that six persons had gone for a meeting with members of the Odisha Maowadi Party, the break-away group of the CPI (Maoist) in Odisha on the evening of 13 November 2012. They were led by unknown people to the meeting point in Gajapati district. The six persons were leading fully documented lives in their villages in Kandamahal district. We found that they went for the meeting in three pairs as they were known to each other in twos and were last seen with the other. This motley group of villagers was called for the meeting for reasons specific to each pair. It appears that their decision to stay the night with the party came around at night and two of the men had informed home that they would come back in the morning. On the morning of 14 November, the forces surrounded the hill where the Maoists were camping. The six, not being part of the Odisha Maowadi Party, started coming towards the police, down the hill, with their hands up, while the party cadre retreated into the forest from the top of the hill. However, the police and Special Operations Group forces started firing at the six coming down, apparently in the enthusiasm that they had successfully reached the hide-out of Sabyasachi Panda, the prominent leader of the Odisha Maowadi Party. Five of the six, Aibo Padra (Village Bujuli, G.P. Godarpur, P.S. Brahamanigam, Block Daringbadi), Sanatan Mallick (Village Gaheju, G.P. Hatimunda, P.S. Brahamanigam, Block Daringbadi), Ghasiram Baghsingh (Village Mardipankha, G.P. Saramulli, P.S. Brahamanigam, Block Daringbadi), Samasan Majhi (Village Bhingurigoda, G.P. Saramulli, P.S. Brahamanigam, Block Daringbadi), Laxmikanta Nayak (Village Lujerimunda, G.P. Badarsahi, P.S. Tikabali, Block Tikabali) were killed. One person, Junesh Digal of the same village as Laxmikanta Nayak managed to hide behind a stone and didn’t die. After the firing subsided, he was found and shown as a Maoist, while the five others killed were shown as Maoists killed in the encounter. All six men involved in this incident work and live in their respective areas openly; none of them had remained absent from their villages or away from their families for any significant period of time. On the other hand, one of them (Ghasiram Baghsingh) had, at one time, been beaten by members of the CPI (Maoist). All six men were social and political activists in their own way, questioning corruption practices in their graam panchayat area, standing in the panchayat elections, conducting pastoral activities in the area, supporting a struggle for seeking justice for illegal detention by the forces, building peace in the 2008 riot-affected areas. It seems that this proactive and leadership qualities of theirs were what brought them to the attention of the Maoists. Family members of those killed are distraught with losing their beloved and the primary bread earners of their families. * Samasan Majhi’s wife is now left with two teenaged sons, one of whom is mentally challenged. * Ghasiram Bagsingh supported a family of 11 members, including five unmarried sisters, who now face an uncertain future. His mother and wife don’t know how they should plan their life ahead. * Aiba Padra had dreams for his son and was staying in Brahmanigam so that he could study at a better school there. * Sanatan Mallick’s wife is an ASHA worker, which means she has no regular income, and she fears for the future of her three and one-year-old daughters. * Laxmi Kanta Nayak, the oldest person killed, had returned to his village in Kandhamal only recently, two years after his house had been damaged and looted during the riots of 2007. Nayak was a stone mason, painter and odd-jobs man. Following his death, his wife has been forced to go the Bhubaneshwar, where in her middle age she faces the prospect of working as a maid servant.

The Police Version
The police version is that indiscriminate firing was started by the other side and that they had to fire only to protect their lives, and even then they opened only ‘controlled and restricted firing’. Contrary to this, our investigation team believes that there was no provocation from the side of the Maoists. This is also attested by the statement made by Sabyasachi Panda, who has questioned the police’s version of events saying that he and his armed party did not fire at the incoming security forces because of the presence of six civilians in between. The police version’s authenticity is also called into question by the fact that the FIR does not name even a single officer from the anti-naxal operation party as being injured. When questioned about this, Mr Vinay Bharat Manjhi, the Inspector In-Charge of Mohana Police Station, under whose jurisdiction the location of the encounter was, said two people were hurt. However, despite searching, he could not find the names of any police men who were hurt or provide any details of injuries. In fact, an investigation report of the Gandhian Odisha Savodaya Samaj specifically mentions that villagers from Baliguda village, close to the encounter site, did not notice any member of the police force injured. Instead, they had been forced to carry the corpses to the nearest road head. Trigger-happy security personnel, contrary to all human rights regulations which stipulate that even combatants are to be shot only on their legs, seem to have showered the six unarmed men with bullets. Even though no post mortem report has been shared with any family, a constitutional requirement, all families reported that the bodies carried several bullet injuries, with all people having bullet injuries on their heads, necks and torsos. Bagsingh’s body, for instance, had a bullet hole at the back of his head, while Aiba Padra’s wife said his head had been blown out. Clearly, such injuries could not have been caused by ‘controlled and restricted firing’. We are convinced that not one of those killed was a member of any Maoist group, either the CPI (Maoist) or the Odisha Maovadi Party. The killings of these adivasis and dalits shows how, under the banner of a police operation against the Maoists, anyone is liable to be killed, not by the ‘dreaded’ Maoists, but by the state, which is supposed to guarantee their right to life.

Hushing up of the fake encounter
The state is now busy hushing up these fake encounters. Four young boys actually picked up four days later from Baliaguda village, are being presented as Maoists who were part of the encounter incident. The police claims that they were picked up from the deep forests and that they said that Panda and others were injured. In this same pursuit, Sangram Mohanty has been shown arrested while giving arms, food materials, etc. to another person, Kailash Mandal at about 4:30 p.m. on 5 December 2012, at a place near the state highway falling in the jurisdiction of the same police station, Mohana. Our investigation team found this to be a fabricated arrest, as interviews showed that he was actually picked up from Bhrahampur the same morning at about 9 o’clock and then driven to that site. Kailash Mandal was in the illegal detention of the police since 2 December. It is only after Sangram Mohanty’s father, Dandapani Mohanty, filed an FIR in Bhrahampur about his son’s abduction at 3 o’clock, that the police showed his arrest. It is very possible that the CRPF and the SOG have picked up Dandapani Mohanty’s son because Dandapani has been the most vocal critic of these encounters. As we have seen in Chhattisgarh and lately in Bihar and Jharkhand, it is standard procedure during counter-insurgency operations to alienate the non-state forces by terrorizing the populace into submission. Kandhamal district has lost people who were an alternative to the extreme politics being played out in these districts, and who stood for a corruption-free, secular and democratic society. How can any real development be achieved when all leadership is centralized and people have no right to explore their political options? In the process of the state’s hunt for Sabyasachi Panda, this society has lost its organic leaders now and stands to lose much more in its uncertain future.

Rationalists’ and Humanists’ Forum of India demands
# all five families who have lost their breadwinners be compensated by the state.
# Junesh Digal be released immediately and the third-degree torture he is being put through be immediately stopped.
# The apparent vendetta campaign being carried out by the CRPF at Mohana PS against Dandapani Mohanty be stopped immediately and Sangram Mohanty and Kailas Mandal be released.
# The anti-naxal operation party headed by Subedar Jeetendra Kumar Dehury of 3rd SS Batallion, Ganjam and Mrunal Kalo, S.I. of Police, Mohana P.S. be criminally prosecuted for murder and tried under the Prevention of Atrocities against SC/STs Act for their crimes against adivasis and dalits.

By: Debashis On behalf of the investigation team.
General Secretary: Rationalists’ and Humanists’ Forum of India

COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MAOIST), CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISION PRESS RELEASE

COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MAOIST), CENTRAL MILITARY COMMISION

Press Release, November 30, 2012
Oppose the brutal offensives of the Indian Ruling Classes!

Intensify People’s War & Defeat

the ‘Operation Green Hunt’ – ‘War on People’!

Oppose and fight back the deployment of Indian Army in Bastar in the guise of establishing training camp for suppression of the revolutionary movement!

Call of the Central Military Commission – CPI (Maoist)

On the occasion of the PLGA 12th anniversary celebrations

Dear comrades, beloved people!
People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) was formed on December 2, 2000 for the victory of Indian New Democratic Revolution as part of the World Socialist Revolution and as a detachment of the International Army of the Proletariat in the path shown by the great revolutionary teachers of the Indian revolution Comrades Charu Mazumdar and Kanhai Chatterjee. By December 2, 2012 it would complete 12 years of its formation. The Central Military Commission (CMC) is giving a call on this occasion to conduct 12th PLGA anniversary weekly celebrations in all the guerilla zones and red resistance areas and to expand by intensifying guerilla warfare to defeat through People’s War – ‘Operation Green Hunt’ (OGH) (War on People) carried on by the exploiting ruling classes.

In the past one year nearly hundred beloved daughters and sons of the oppressed masses and common people laid down their most invaluable lives. The leader of the Indian revolutionary movement, General of People’s War, our Politburo member and the beloved son of the oppressed masses – Comrade Mallojual Koteswarlu alias Kishenji lost his life in a fake encounter in the conspiracy of the Central and Bengal state governments and the central intelligence agencies including the Bengal SIB. Dandakaranya Special Zone Committee member Comrade Harak (Srikant) was martyred due to ill-health, North Telangana Special Zone Committee member Comrade Gundeti Sankar (Seshanna) was martyred due to snake bite and Bihar-Jharkhand-North Chhattisgarh Special Area leader Comrade Ajay Ganju was martyred in the hands of the enemy in Kunda forests of Chhatra district of Jharkhand. Comrade Siddharth Burgohain, leading team member (Regional Committee level) of Asom was martyred in a fake encounter along with three comrades. In Dandakaranya Comrade Vijay (South Regional Committee member) was martyred in an accident and senior party activist comrade Swaroopa (Sunita) was martyred due to ill-health. Comrade BSA Satyanarayana, leader of working class movements and people’s lawyer, Comrade Goru Madhava Rao, veteran of Srikakulam Struggle and epitome of staunch communist commitment, Comrade Penduru Bhim Rao, Adivasi leader breathed their last this year. Nearly 60 common people and activists of mass organizations and Revolutionary People’s Committees lost their lives due to police brutality. 19 unarmed people were killed in cold blood in the Sarkinguda massacre in the Basaguda area of Bijapur district in Dandakaranya. Let us pay red homage to each one of these martyrs and vow to fulfill their dreams.

The Indian ruling classes are implementing in a structured manner the counter-revolutionary LIC strategy under the guidance of the U.S. imperialists with the aim of wiping out the Indian revolutionary movement. The various tactical counter offensive campaigns and military actions taken up as part of resistance by the PLGA in the past one year in various guerilla zones to resist this had a good political impact. A total of 114 police died and more than 191 were injured in several single actions, operations and ambushes such as – the ambush near Gorgonda (Sukma) on the vehicle of Koya Commando commanders Kartam Surya and Kicha Nanda, the massive brave ambush conducted on the convoy of CRPF and CoBRA forces near Pusutola (Gadchiroli), Irpugutta ambush (Kanker), Kirandul night ambush (Dantewada), the ambush on butcher Mahendra Karma, the leader of Salwa Judum (Dantewada) – all in Dandakaranya; the valiant ambush on mine-proof vehicle near Bargarh (Garhwa), Kharanji Tungi ambush (Latehar), the brave attack on the enemy helicopter in Labhar forest area (Latehar), the ambush on NH-2 (Latehar), the attack on the escort vehicle in Giridih town & release of eight Maoist prisoners – all in Jharkhand; the battles waged by PLGA on the CRPF and CoBRA forces on the same day in Baltor and Dumaria forests in Gaya district of Bihar, the ambush on mine-proof vehicle near Sakarbandha; the Janniguda (Dyke 3) ambush (Chitrakonda-Balimela road), the single action in Sileru – in AOB; the Badarpanga ambush in Odisha (Kandhamal), the night ambush in North Telangana and the Gaoltor ambush in West Bengal (Lalgarh). PLGA seized 29 weapons from them. Due to the guerilla actions of the PLGA the ruling classes were forced to deploy more forces in our areas and to decentralize forces in vast areas. As a result, PLGA forces were successful in fighting back the enemy offensive.

From mid-2011 the ruling classes increased their offensives on the movement areas. These operations are being carried out with the aim of damaging our movement areas and damaging our coordination by cutting up our areas into parts. Massacres like the one at Sarkinguda on the people and murders of activists are increasing. Reactionary gangs like Salwa Judum, Nagrik Suraksha Samity, TPC, SPM, Harmad Bahini, Bhairav Sena, Santi Committee and Santi Sangam, secret vigilante gangs, police, paramilitary and commando forces are together resorting to such massacres. The National Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC) to be newly formed by the central government to fight back Maoists and ‘terrorists’ would turn out to be the ‘biggest threat even to the namesake sovereignty, peace, security, freedom, democracy and right to live of the people’.

The Indian government is deploying Army to wipe out the revolutionary movement. They are constructing all the infra structure needed for the offensives to be conducted by the Army and the Air Force. Air Bases are being built in several areas in Chhattisgarh (CG), Vidarbha, Andhra Pradesh (AP), Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha for conducting Air Force attacks in support of the Army offensives. There are building 400 fortified police stations in the four tri-junctions – AP-CG-Maharashtra; AP-CG-Odisha; CG-Jharkhand-Odisha and Odisha-West Bengal-Jharkhand and strengthening carpet security. They are giving training, weapons and equipment to their forces to fight back any kind of attacks by our PLGA forces. They are speeding up their preparations for drone (UAV) attacks and are concentrating on annihilating the leadership in the field. The central government decided to build 2200 communication towers in areas of Naxalite influence. With the aim of keeping surveillance on the movements of guerillas in thick forests they launched Resat-1 satellite in end April 2012. They are intensifying reforms with the aim of splitting the revolutionary camp and increasing the social base of the exploiting classes. They are economically benefiting a section of people amongst the political leaders, officials, contractors, tribal elders/bad gentry, rich and middle peasants and are utilizing them as their social base. They are waging incessant psychological warfare by propagating on one hand that socialism-communism are outdated and that they can never emerge victorious and on the other hand are urging those inside revolutionary camp to join the police or as informers by deserting the revolutionary movement as they would be wiping it within 5-10 years and as they could never win. They are encouraging liquidators like Savyasachi Panda and trying to fizzle out the movement.

Resorting to heinous, cruel and inhuman offensives on the revolutionaries and the oppressed masses to hand over billions of dollars worth riches to the imperialist corporations, loot of resources and wiping out the alternative people’s political power that is budding under the leadership of the Maoist party is the aim of the Indian ruling classes and their imperialist masters. CMC is calling upon the oppressed masses and all well-wishers of the people to defeat the offensive of the Indian State by intensifying the People’s War and democratic and political agitations all over the country.

Dear Comrades, beloved people!

The financial crisis of world capitalism is deepening and expanding further. The imperialists are contending with each to loot all kinds of sources (human, material) in the backward countries apart from increasing exploitation on the workers and middle classes in their countries in order to overcome this crisis. Attacks on Sikhs, East Asians, South Asians, Muslims and Arabs increased a lot as racism is increasing outrageously in the imperialist countries. Workers, youth, women and middle classes are agitating in several European countries against these neo-liberal economic policies. Proletarian parties and progressive people’s organizations are gaining strength again. Anti-imperialist struggles are intensifying in various forms in all the backward countries. As pro-U.S. rulers had again come to power after the Arab Spring in another guise, people are inevitably realizing the need to choose the revolutionary path. Resistance struggles of oppressed nationalities are continuing in several countries. Muslim people rose like a storm all over the world against the U.S. film that insulted Islam. Advancement of People’s Wars in Philippines and India, revolutionary forces separating themselves from the UCPN (M) in Nepal by opposing its revisionist line, Maoist forces being active in countries such as Turkey, Peru and Bangladesh etc, Maoist organizations and anti-imperialist organizations in several European countries taking up several programs in solidarity to the ongoing People’s War in our country – are all favorable phenomena.

All the fundamental contradictions in our country are intensifying due to the neo-liberal economic policies implemented by the governments. The rich are becoming super rich while the poor are turning paupers. 77 percent of the country’s population is not even in a position to spend 20 rupees a day and suffering from utter poverty. Scams that came to light recently exposed the likes of Rahul Gandhi, Robert Vadhra, central ministers Sarad Pawar, Salman Khurshid and BJP president Nitin Gadkari thoroughly. These economic disparities and corruption are leading to social unrest and are turning into a source for revolution. Adivasis and other peasantry are fighting for Jal-Jungle-Zameen and against displacement. Peasantry is fighting against cut in agrarian subsidies, for fair prices, against adulteration in fertilizers and pesticides, for electricity and for preservation of seeds. People are fighting against price rises, unemployment, famine and starvation deaths. Retail traders are fighting against foreign direct investments. Indian Airlines-Air India pilots, bank and insurance employees, workers and students are fighting against privatization in their sectors. Thousands of workers who were on roads due to lock out of Maruti Suzuki in Gurgaon waged militant struggles. Artisans, fishing communities, women, Dalits, Adivasis – all sections of people are fighting against loss of livelihood and against the exploitation of land lords, comprador bureaucratic bourgeoisie (CBB) and imperialists. In spite of severe repression nationality struggles of the Kashmir and North East for national liberation and independence are rising repeatedly. CMC is calling upon the Indian oppressed masses, patriotic and democratic forces to intensify the People’s War which is decisive and democratic and political agitations with the slogan ‘Let us seize political power through People’s War’.

The reason behind the utter poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and malaises is the exploitation and oppression of Indian big land lords and CBB who are both lackeys of the imperialists. PLGA is fighting with the political aim of establishing a new democratic society where such exploitation and oppression end and a socialist system where there are no economic and social inequalities. We are carrying on armed struggle in the inevitable conditions where this political aim cannot be achieved through peaceful means or in the path of bourgeois parliamentary elections. Several struggles failed in achieving this aim using the above methods during the British colonial rule and in the post-colonial days. Our struggle is neither extremism nor terrorism. This is solely the foul propaganda of the central and state governments. They are propagating that our People’s War is extremism and terrorism with the aim of gaining legitimacy for their fascist offensive on the revolutionary movement. All these exploiters who are mortgaging our country to the imperialists and resorting to scams worth billions of rupees are all betrayers of our country. We are calling upon the people to overthrow these exploiting classes and betrayers of the country and participate in the People’s War ongoing for seizure of political power of the oppressed masses and join the PLGA that is waging this People’s War. Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal who are claiming that they would end corruption are all apologists of the exploiting system in our country. They would be able to bring only some namesake reforms like the Lokpal. Believing them would be deceitful. We are calling upon workers, peasants, students, intellectuals, doctors, lawyers, journalists, artisans, Dalits, Adivasis, women, various minorities, various nationalities, patriots and democrats to participate in the People’s War ongoing for sovereign, independent, democratic India based on freedom, independence and equality and join the PLGA that is leading this People’s War.

Conduct meetings, rallies, demonstrations on a huge scale in each and every village, nook and corner to propagate the political aim of the People’s War waged by the PLGA and to defeat the Operation Green Hunt!

Note : On this occasion we would not observe ‘Bandh’. Using this call police creating that type of ‘Bandh’ atmosphere. Don’t believe it.

(Deoji)

For Central Military Commission

CPI (Maoist

Celebrations on the 12th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army

[See this news story from Naxatra News, followed by the press release from the CPI(Maoist), on the 12th Anniversary celebrations.]

Odisha: CPI Maoist’S PLGA week observation begins in full swing

Koraput: The Maoists are celebrating their PLGA (People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army) 12th anniversary from 2nd December to 8th December. The CPI-(Maoist) concentrates on recruitment of fresh cadres into the party during the PLGA week every year. The PLGA week observed by the rebels in remembrance of slain leaders of the CPI-Maoist’s armed wing.
Normal life was partially affected in the district with the beginning of the CPI Maoists PLGA Week celebration from Sunday. All the Government and private buses plying from Jeypore in Koraput district to different places of Malkangiri district, Lamtaput, Ankadeli, Machkund, Narayanpatna, Rayagada and Parvatipuram remained off the roads to avoid any untoward incident due to observation of PLGA Week by the CPI-Maoists.
All the business establishments were remained open and life was quite normal. Joint combing operations and search operations by central and state security personnel’s are intensified.
One Deoji from Central military commission of CPI Maoists urged the people by a press release to oppose ‘Operation Green Hunt’, Conduct meetings, rallies, demonstrations on a huge scale in each and every village, nook and corner to propagate the political aim of the People’s War waged by the PLGA and to defeat the Operation Green Hunt! Deoji, further said in the press release that the CPI Maoists would not observe ‘BANDH’ on this PLGA week.
Posters pasted across almost all important junctions in Malkangiri, Koraput and Gajapati districts said to the support in the state.
Source: Naxatra News

Debashis

FREE APARNA MARANDI : Human Rights Violation by Jharkhand Police , India |

Aparna Marandi, her four-year old son Alok Chandra, Satish (16 years old)her distant relative and her two friends Baby Turi and Susheela Ekka were picked up the police on 8th December. The manner in which they were picked up, interrogated and detained, are in clear violation of all established procedures and rules. Aparna was forced to sign a confessional statement on the basis of which she has been taken away to Dumka prison. All of them were mistreated and mentally tortured during this unlawful interrogation.

Earlier in the day Stalin K. and his colleagues at Video Volunteers, Anand Hembromand Tania Deviah, spoke at length with Baby Turi and her husband DamodarTuri. Their detailed narration of the last 3 days (below) gives us enough evidence of grievous human rights violation by the Jharkhand police :illegal detention, violation of arrest guidelines, forceful confession,intimidating and abusive interrogation, threatening to seriously hurt and kill.

Given that this is not an isolated incident, and marks a pattern of silencing rights activists who challenge repression and exploitative development projects , we must take strong and urgent action on this matter. I urge you all to take this matter up in your respective individual or collective capacities to ensure justice to all affected.

Backstory:

Aparna Marandi is the wife of cultural activist Jeetan Marandi. Jeetan was a composer and singer and sang about poverty, starvation, corruption,oppression realities of life in some of the most marginalized regions in the country. The state reacted to his activism with draconian force and incarcerated him. Despite being acquitted by the Jhakhand High Court,Jeetan continues to languish in prison. It has been four long years since he was arrested.

Since Jeetans arrest, Aparna has been indefatigable. With her son in her arms, she would go from courts to police stations to government officers to conferences to rallies in the streets in an effort to secure justice forJeetan. She is one of the most outspoken voices for human rights and justice in grassroots Jharkhand.

Baby Turi is the Mukhiya (village council head) of Jitpur panchayat inTundi block, Dhanbad district of Jharkhand. Damodar Turi, a well known human rights activist specifically working against displacement and forcedeviction, is Babys husband. Damodar is also accused of being a Maoistsympathizer and has baseless cases slapped on him since the last fouryears.

Baby Turi’s Statement

On 8th December 2012, I along with Aparna Marandi , her four year old sonAlok, Sushila Ekka and Satish Kumar were to take a train from Hatiarailway station to go to Hyderabad to attend the Rajnitik Bandi RihayiSamiti (Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners) meeting. At 4pm,while we were still sitting in the train and waiting for it to move, wewere approached by plain clothed police officers. They told us that theywere Railway Ticket Examiners and that we needed to be interrogated fortraveling on unconfirmed tickets. We were all were made to remove ourluggage and get out of the train. They asked us why we are going toHyderabad. Aparna said she is attending the meeting as her husband is apolitical prisoner. I will try everything I can to get my husband out ofjail because he is innocent, she said.

From the railway station we were moved to the CBI office in Ranchi where wewere interrogated about our links to Maoist groups. They kept throwingnames at us but we did not know any of those people. We said that we haveno links or connections with any Maoists group or person. Through out thatquestioning they used foul language and kept cursing. Their whole approachwas to scare us, intimidate and to make us to accept their charges andallegations.

At 10.30 pm on the same night (8th December 2012) they moved us to theWomens station in Ranchi. They kept us in the lockup room. We were givenvery little food and after demanding it several times. They did not evengive some biscuits to Alok. They used abusive language and wouldnt allowus to use the toilet. They said we were faking the urge to use the toiletbecause we wanted to walk around. That night we slept in the lockup roomwith one male guard outside. The guards took turns to keep an eye on us.

Next morning, on 9th December, Aparna was called out individually. Theystarted asking her about her connection to Maoists. They cursed her andthreatened her a lot. The poor thing was very scared. Aparna was asked tosign a document stating that she was part of group who set a companysdumper (truck) on fire in Dumka and in the shoot out in Khatikhund. Aparnawas forced to sign it. She told us later that she had no choice but to signit because she felt her life ws in danger. The camera that you (VideoVolunteers) had given her was confiscated. They asked us to us to sweep thelock up and do things like this. They werent giving us food. We told themthat well give them money, just buy us some food! Aparna had picked up thebroom but we told her to drop it. Are we sweepers?

I overheard the police officer talking to her superiors on the phone. Shesaid we have captured four Naxals and we are taking good care of themSir.Although it was a womens police station, there were many CRPF menguarding both the inside and outside the station. Through that day we werephotographed many times by the police.

When the media persons came, there was more tension. They told us we hadinformed the media and that we were lying that we hadnt contacted anyone.We know that many activists in Ranchi and elsewhere were calling the SP toknow about our whereabouts and that the SP said that he doesnt know aboutany such arrests. All that time we were in the lock up.

Sushila too was interrogated. How come people from different districts arehere together, they asked. We explained that we knew each other sinceJeetan and Damodar were arrested under false charges in 2008.

They asked me if I knew about a CRPF camp near my village. I said yes. Theyasked if I knew about the murder of a landlord there. I said no. They said,how come you dont know about it when you are the Mukhiya of the village.I said that I was not the Mukhiya (village council head) at the time ofthat killing. The police woman accused me of wining the election with thesupport of the Maoists. They were trying very hard to make us accept thatwe are Maoists.

Only women police officers were interrogating us. But CRPF men were allover the station. They even accompanied us even when we went to use thetoilet.

On the evening of the 9th I and Susheela and Satish were asked to write andsign a document stating that we were taken in for interrogation with AparnaMarandi and were released without harm and that the police had notmisbehaved with us. We were asked to write that we had gathered in Hatiyarailway station to meet Jeetan Marandi. But we refused to write that partbecause this was not true. Jeetan Marandi has been in jail for 4 years sohow can we have gone to meet him at the railway station?! We protestedvehemently. We insisted that we will only write the facts and theyrelented. However, they made us write that we were picked up forquestioning on the evening of the 9th. We told them that we want to put theactual date which was the 8th. But they started cursing us again and eventhreatened to kill us and so we relented to this and allowed them to putthe date as 9th . We wrote and signed that statement because the three ofus were totally scared for our lives.

That night we were again made to sleep in the lock up. We were not allowedto contact any our relatives nor did they inform any of our relatives ofour whereabouts or charges on us.

The following day, on 10th of December, at about 11am Aparna was taken awayto be produced before the magistrate in Ranchi. We came to know later thatshe was taken to Dumka jail from there.

One police officer wanted the three of us to also a sign the confessiondocument of Aparna Marandi wherein she was made to write that she wasinvolved in the two incidents of Maoist attack. We started worrying badly.Just then another police officer told her that the 3 of us need not beadded to Aparnas. Well slap some other case on them, she said.

At 4pm on 10th December , Sushila, Satish and I were released. We dontknow what will happen next. We just know that they have taken our photosand our signatures on this document. We dont know how Aparna is doing,

Damodar Turi’s statement:

I am the State Convener of the Visthapan Virodhi Janvikas Andolan (PeoplesCampaign against Displacement). I have charges under UAPA and under section17 and 18 CRPC Act filed against me since 24th June 2008. No FIR was made.No information was given to me or anyone about this. That night at 9pm,police surrounded my office in Ranchi and arrested me. Police officers from5 stations were present, about 100 police men. They started beating me inthe office itself. They beat me in the vehicle on the way. In the stationthey beat me in various ways, kicks, slaps, with sticks. Then they took meto Lalpur Police Station and began third degree torture. They kept throwingnames of Moist leaders at me and asked me how I knew them. I said I dontknow any of them and that my work is against displacement and for thedevelopment of Adivasis and Dalits. So you are against all the companiesthat want to come to Jharkhand is it, they asked me. I said that my workis to secure the rights of the marginalized people. They then asked me howI met various activists and leaders and where we get funding from. I showedthem receipts of how people donated small funds to the movement. They didnot listen. They confiscated the cash in my office and claimed that it waslevy ka paisa (money collected as levy*). I felt upset and protested thatthis is not levy money. They tortured me more and made me sign a statement.The same night they moved me to the Muffosil police station. Theythreatened me that they will kill me in an encounter. I told them who I wasand and what my work was and that this fact will not change no matter howmuch they tortured me. I told them to go ahead and kill me in an encounterif they want.

The next morning they took me to a press conference. At first the hall wasempty. Then they took me out of the room and when they brought me back in,on each of the tables they had laid out *Lal Chingari* pamphlets, alongsidebrochures of my organization. Lal Chingari is the pamphlet brought out bythe Moists. I tried to protest and told the press who I am and that the LalChingari pamphlets were not mine. SP (Superintendent of Police) MS Bhatiatold the media persons gathered there that the Lal Chingari were recoveredfrom my office. The fact is that they did not find any such thing on me orin my office. This was the only evidence they produced to prove that I am aMaoist. The press then wrote both sides of the story.

This is the context under which my wifes recent arrest plays out. In thebiggest democracy in the country, there is a lot of suspicion against theAdivasi and Dalits. A lot of us are targeted as Maoists and Naxals. We haveno forum to voice our sorrow. There is a report stating how 100s ofAdivasis have been jailed with such charges. All the armed operationsagainst Maoists have targeted defenseless Adivasis and Dalits in thisstate. That is the systematic attempt of the Government. My wife and hercompanions are being treated this way because they are Dalits. If they werewomen from upper class or upper caste families, I dont feel they wouldhave been looked at with such suspicion.

My wife and others were detained illegally. They were picked up police menin plain clothes, they had no name tags, there were no women police at thattime. This is a blatant violation of law and laid down procedures. Theywere not told the reason of their arrest. They werent allowed to use thetoilet and were mentally tortured. They were not given adequate food andhad to fight for it. They police used abusive language. They were detainedfor more than 24 hrs and were not produced before a Magistrate. The policekept talking about their connection to Maoist leaders. There were threatsto beat kill them.

Looking to your solidarity in seeking justice.

In harmony,

–Stalin K.DirectorVideo Volunteers – Empowering CommunityVoicesMobile +91-99235-94635

By: Debashis
General Secretary, Rationalists’ and Humanists’ Forum of India