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CHHATTISGARH HOSTAGE CRISIS |
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Abducted Collector released; expected to reach Sukma on Friday
High-power committee to meet for the first time in Raipur to discuss the release of innocent tribals from prison
Prakhar Jain
New Delhi
Abducted Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon was released on Thursday evening at Tadmetla village in the presence of Maoists-nominated mediators Professor Hargopal and Dr BD Sharma. The mediators spent close to eight hours in the village to finally emerge with the Collector who looked visibly relieved. He thanked the mediators and the government for securing his release and was taken to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Chintalnar where he is expected to spend the night.
Menon was abducted on 21 April by Maoists from Majhipara village while attending a meeting organised to understand the grievances of the villagers. The Maoists in return had demanded the release of 17 prisoners, suspension of Operation Green Hunt and withdrawal of false cases against the innocent tribals in exchange for his release. Finally, they relented after an agreement was announced by the mediators on 30 April to set up a high-power committee to look into the complaints of the alleged false cases against the innocent tribals.
Speaking to Tehelka from Raipur, Nirmala Buch, the government nominated mediator, said that she will shortly convene two meetings of the high-power committee. “The first meeting would be to work out the modalities of the workings of the committee and in the second we will discuss the issues of the tribals locked up in jails,” she said. Buch would then go back to Bhopal and would return soon after to sort the issues in greater detail.
Mediators appeal Maoists to release abducted Collector in next 48 hours
A high-power committee comprising mediator Nirmala Buch, Chief Secretary of the state Sunil Kumar and Director General of Police Anil Nawaney to look into the demands of Maoists from an hour of the release of the abducted Collector
Prakhar Jain
New Delhi
After Maoists extended the deadline to 2 May for the release of the abducted Collector Alex Menon, the mediators in Raipur have arrived at an agreement to constitute a high-power committee to look into all the demands made by the Maoists. Speaking to TEHELKA on phone from Raipur, the Maoists nominated mediator Professor Hargopal said, “We have appealed the Maoists to favourably consider his (the Collector’s) release in next 48 hours and have assured them that the high-power committee would expeditiously look into all of their demands, including the release of the hardcore Maoists”.
He further added that Nirmala Buch has taken the moral responsibility to oversee the workings of the committee and under the current circumstances he expects the high-power committee to do good work. “In the Odisha case we have seen how the legal authority works, now we have reposed our confidence in the moral authority of the state,” Prof Hargopal said.
On being asked about the composition of the committee, which consists of all the government representatives, he said, “Mediators' job is over and whatever promises have been made to us, we’ll have to wait and watch.”
Nirmala Buch, a former bureaucrat and a mediator from the government side who would be chairing the committee, told TEHELKA, “This committee should have been constituted long back and the Collector’s abduction has only aided in the process.” She also said that the committee would be a permanent one and very positive outcome from its workings is expected.
Responding to the question of the committee comprising only government representatives, she said, “I’m no longer a part of the government and my experiences of working on such issues since past many decades in Madhya Pradesh would be helpful in resolving the complex issues of tribals of Chhattisgarh too.”
Earlier, in a letter dated 29 April sent to a journalist in Raipur, the Secretary of the South Dandakaranya Regional Committee Ganesh Uike had asked the state government to release the eight prisoners named in their first demand. The letter has warned to produce the Collector in people’s court if the state government failed to comply within the stipulated deadline.
Ever since BD Sharma and Professor Hargopal returned after meeting the Maoists at Tadmetla village in Sukma district on Saturday, they had been cautious to not divulge anything to the media. They held marathon talks with the government mediators Nirmala Buch and Suyogya Mishra at the state guest house Pahuna, which culminated into the latest appeal made to the Maoists by them. “We will wait in Raipur until we receive a response from the Maoists (regarding our appeal),” Prof Hargopal said.
More pamphlets and banners have been recovered today too at Cherpal village in Bijapur district and Biladila of Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh demanding that the paramilitary forces be withdrawn from these areas and all the innocent tribals who are languishing in various jails be released.
Prakhar Jain is a Correspondent with Tehelka.
prakhar@tehelka.com
Maoists call for state-wide shutdown on 30 April
Mediators to visit Sukma on Saturday, Government mediator expresses satisfaction over Friday’s talks
Prakhar Jain
New Delhi
In a pamphlet found by sources from Kirandul region in Dantewada district, the Dandakaranya Committee of Maoists has called for a state-wide shutdown on 30 April, protesting the atrocities against tribal women and demanding immediate suspension of Operation Green Hunt.
Meanwhile, in state capital Raipur, after holding another marathon meeting with the government mediators, the Maoist nominated mediators Dr BD Sharma and Prof. Hargopal have decided to go to Tadmetla village in Sukma district on Saturday morning. “We were waiting for a communication from the Maoists and hope to establish some contact by tonight,” Dr Sharma told Tehelka.
Nirmala Buch, who is mediating from the government side, expressed satisfaction over Friday’s talk and said that anything conclusive can be discussed only once the above-mentioned mediators return from Sukma. “A basic understanding has been established and further talks would happen once they are back,” she said. Both sides, however, refused to give any specific details.
Earlier Maoists had extended the list of prisoners they want released and have added the names of 9 villagers to the eight given earlier. Also, in a release sent to the BBC correspondent Salman Ravi, the South Dandakaranya Regional Committee has explained the reasons for abducting the district collector.
The release has blamed Alex Paul Menon for ignoring the atrocities of district police. It claims that Podiyam Mara was inhumanely tortured to death as opposed to the suicide shown by police officials. Mara died on 13 January at Sukma police station in judicial custody. Indian Express had quoted a policeman saying that Mara did complain of CRPF pouring petrol on his private parts and setting it on fire, which was further confirmed by a medical examination that observed “swelling over the penis and lateral part of anus.”
Prakhar Jain is a Correspondent with Tehelka.
prakhar@tehelka.com
Deadline extended by Maoists; negotiators expected to meet on Thursday
Professor G Hargopal, who has been named as the new mediator by the Maoists, will take up negotiations
Prakhar Jain
New Delhi
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Dr BD Sharma, former chairman of SC/ST commission
Photo: Shailendra Pandey |
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After two of the mediators named by Maoists backed out, Professor G Hargopal, a former faculty of political science at Central University in Hyderabad, has been named as their replacement. Prof. Hargopal is an experienced voice for negotiations and had last year successfully held talks with the abductors of former Malkangiri Collector Vineel Krishna.
Meanwhile, there is no news yet about Manish Kunjam, the President of All India Adivasi Mahasabha, who went into the forests on Tuesday along with the essential medicines for the captive Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon. Sources told TEHELKA that Kunjam was taken to an undisclosed location from Tadmetla village, where he was to meet the Maoists. His return is being eagerly awaited by the administration as well as by the negotiators as he might bring news about the well being of the abducted collector.
In Delhi, Dr BD Sharma, former chairman of SC/ST commission, who had agreed to mediate on Tuesday, is yet to meet any government official. Sharma told TEHELKA, “I did receive a call yesterday (Tuesday) evening from a Maoist leader of the Southern Bastar Division with a request to negotiate from their side and I have agreed to that.” He would be leaving for the Chhattisgarh on Thursday to discuss the modalities of the negotiations.
The government appointed negotiator Nirmala Buch on Tuesday met her counterpart Suyogya Mishra after reaching the state capital Raipur and both are expected to visit the CM and government officials soon. Speaking to TEHELKA she said that they are eagerly waiting to meet the Maoist nominated negotiators. “We welcome Professor Hargopal, who is a very learned man and has written on diverse subjects, to negotiate with us,” she said.
The deadline to complete the negotiations, which was to end on Wednesday, is understood to have been extended for few more days as the negotiations are yet to take off, but the Superintendent of Sukma Abhishek Shandilya denied receiving any official communication on it.
Prakhar Jain is a Correspondent with Tehelka.
prakhar@tehelka.com
Medication rushed to abducted Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon
Prashant Bhushan, Manish Kunjam hesitant to negotiate with Maoists. Govt mediators wait for mandate
Prakhar Jain
New Delhi
Manish Kunjam, a Communist Party of India leader and President of All India Adivasi Mahasabha, is on his way to Tadmetla village carrying medicines for the abducted Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon. Tadmetla, is the village where discussions with the Maoists is to take place. Kunjam, is expected to hand over the essential medication for Collector Alex Paul Menon, who is an asthma patient.
After putting forward their demands on Sunday 22 April, the Maoists have named Prashant Bhushan, Manish Kunjam and BD Sharma as the mediators to negotiate the release of the abducted Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon. The Chhattisgarh government, in turn, has named Suyogya Mishra and Nrimala Buch as the government representatives.
Prashant Bhushan, a noted lawyer and a core committee member of Team Anna, has refused to accept the Maoists’ proposal saying that the Collector should be released unconditionally. Manish Kunjam, was also reluctant to negotiate, but decided to carry medicines for the Collector to Tadmetla.
Till now only BD Sharma, former commissioner for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, has agreed to get involved in the mediation. When approached by TEHELKA, he said that he hasn’t been approached by any government official but is willing to help. “If there are issues then some or the other person will have to step forward to solve it,” he said.
The government representatives, however, are still in the dark about the mandate they have. Suyogya Mishra, former Chief Secretary Chhattisgarh, told TEHELKA: “We have just been appointed and we do not know exactly the framework we are to work in”. Nirmala Buch, former Union Secretary and Chief Secretary of Madhya Pradesh, said, “I was approached by the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary to mediate and I will leaving for Chhattisgarh shortly.” She added that further details would be given to her only when she reaches Chhattisgarh. Nirmala was in Bhopal when TEHELKA spoke to her.
The Maoists on Sunday had named eight prisoners they wanted to be released and asked the government to immediately suspend the anti-Naxal operation Green Hunt. They’ve also demanded that the administration withdraw security forces from the region and release all the tribals languishing in jails against whom, they allege, fake cases have been registered.
Prakhar Jain is a Correspondent with Tehelka.
prakhar@tehelka.com
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