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>Subject:
STATE ATROCITIES AGAINST ADIVASIS IN DEWAS, MP (MADHYA PRADESH
=CENTRAL PROVINCE -- RD)
>
>
>
MACABRE DANCE OF STATE ATROCITIES AGAINST ADIVASIS (TRIBALS--RD) IN
DEWAS, MP
> BHOPAL, April 8th, 20001
> On 7th of April, 2001 a
team from the Jan Sangharsh Morcha visited the
>adivasi villages and met
with the people in Udayanagar area of Bagli tehsil
>in Dewas district.
This team met and talked to the women, men and children
>of Chainpura,
Semli, Kanad, Jamasindh, Bisali, Mehndikheda, Katukiya,
>Shampura and
other villages. From these discussions a nightmarish story
of
>atrocities and barbarism has clearly emerged.
> Jan Sangharsh
Morcha will present a detailed report very soon. But certain
>serious
facts are clear and it is essential the people of this area and
the
>country are made aware of nd scattered the foodgrains and also beat
up the people. Mithubaba
>received head injuries and Guman and Naru
sustained bullet wounds in their
>legs.
> For quite some time now,
the Forest Department and the district
>administration has been
repressing and committing atrocities against
>adivasis of the area. One
and a half years ago, on 23rd September 1999
>forest officials fired
bullets in village Kadudiya. Roopsingh Bhilala, an
>adivasi was killed
in the firing. Consequently, on 29th May, 2000 the
>adivasis held a
large, peaceful and disciplined demonstration at the
>district
headquarters of Dewas. But the administration turned a blind
eye
>towards this and the atrocities continued. Moreover many false
cases have
>been registered against adivasis.
> within 6 months.
On 5th March, at Udainagar he swore that he would wipe
>out the
Sangathan without a trace within a month. It is obvious that the
>entire
operation was conducted e village.
>The police tear-gassed them to which
the people responded with
>stone-throwing. Then suddenly they were fired
upon. Police fired blindly
>and targeted whoever they could see.
>
That Nemichand Jaiswal, a shopkeeper of village Bisali was killed
shows
>that the police had fired indiscriminately. Balaram was shot in
the neck
>and all those who were killed were shot dead at least a
kilometer from the
>village. These facts indicate that the police had
fired indiscriminately.
>It is also clear that there was no warning
whatsoever before the police
>started firing. Deaths
> i) Balaram
s/o (SON OF--RD)Shri Jherma, village Semli
> ii) Bholu s/o Shri
Idasingh, village Jamasindh (his body was taken away by
>the
police)
> iii) Pathaniya, village Kanad
> iv) Nemichand Jaiswal,
village Bisali Wounded
> The complete information of the dead and
injured is not available. The
>terrorised people in 16 villages have f
these houses have been totally
>shattered and the belongings in the
houses have been looted.
> 6. The most inhuman and despicable act has
been the poisoning of the
>foodgrains, aata (flour) and water of the
villages (with gamaxene). Perhaps
>even under the British, the people of
this country have not been treated
>with such hatred and contempt. In
Jamasindh and Katukiya, the villagers
>themselves showed the team the
poisoned foodgrains and water. The villagers
>have also told us that
similar acts of poisoning have taken place in Semli
>and Sabalgadh.
> 7. In the past 12 days the district administration have converted the
area
>into a terror-zone to break any resistance to these atrocities.
Many
>activists have been arrested. In village Potla, 3 adivasi girls
were picked
>up by the police on 29th March and they have not returned
till date.
>Another adivasi woman from Katudiya is missing since 28th
March.
> 8. This governmeSupreme Court of India had commended
this
>young engineering graduate from IIT-Kharagpur.
> It seems,
the work of the forest mafia of the area was being carried out
>by the
Forest Department and the Van Suraksha Samiti. (FOREST PRESERVATION
COMMITTEE--RD)
> 10. It has been admitted by the administration that the
adivasis cut trees
>for building their houses and not for selling them.
But there's nothing new
>about this since for millenia adivasis have
been using forest wood for
>house construction and other minor needs.
This does not destroy the
>forests. Even the houses of the Deputy Chief
Minister, Smt. Jamuna Devi and
>other adivasi ministers are made of
wood.
> The Adivasi Morcha Sangathan (TRIBAL FRONT ORGANISATION--RD) had
for some time had taken measures against
>the destruction of the
forests. Two months ago, the heads of the Van
>Suraksha Samities of
Tatukhedi, Birjakhal and Patakhal were carrying wood
>on a tractor. They
wstrative machinery. In 1998, it opposed illegal
>brewing of liquor in
Pandutalab and had destroyed a still. This still
>belonged to Shri Shyam
Gujar of Bagli, a Congress leader.
> It has also stopped many extortions
of the Forest Department officials.
>For example,
> - Rs 1000 per
span for house construction
> - Rs 10 per head of cattle for allowing
grazing
> - Rs 50 per truck of manure (There was a Public Interest
Litigation in the
>Indore High Court on this issue).
> There has
also been a substantial opposition of the corruption of the
>local
police, patwari (VILLAGE ACCOUNTANT--RD)etc. This caused the
administrative machinery to
>oppose the Sangathan.
> Forest
Conservator etc. were present. But till date (8th April) there has
>been
no action against even a single official.
> It is obvious that the
district administration cannot carry out atrocities
>on such a large
scale without a green signal from above.a who were opposing an American
aluminium company were fired upon
>on 16 December, 2000 in which 3 were
killed and 56 injured. Adivasis in the
>area of the Koel-Karo dam in
Jharkhand were fired upon in February 2001.
>
> -
> 1) The
Govt. of Madhya Pradesh accept moral responsibility for
these
>atrocities and reexamine the entire structure of forest laws and
the
>bureaucracy associated with it.
> 2) The District Collector
of Dewas, the Superintendent of Police and the
>District Forest Officer
be arrested and tried under the provisions of the
>Atrocities Against
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act and for murder
>and
dacoity.
> 3) The entire issue should be examined by an impartial
judicial inquiry.
> 4) The villages of the area be compensated for the
losses and an
>atmosphere be created immediately whereby the terrorised
people can return
>home.
>
> Bhopal Date : 08 April 2001
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