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| CURRENT AFFAIRS |
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CHHATTISGARH |
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Villagers short of supplies, yet scared to visit markets
Markets in Orchha are shut since 1 August after security personnel attack villagers and traders at a weekly market
Anil Mishra
Orchha, Narayanpur
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CAF jawans attacked the villagers and traders and vandalised the shops in a weekly market in Orchha on 1 August
Photos: Anil Mishra |
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A sense of fear prevails on the way to Orchha from Narayanpur. Fear of both police and the Naxals — in the minds of the locals. This area is governed by the law of the jungle. On 1 August, Naxals entered a crowded market located just a few steps away from the police station, hacked a Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) jawan to death and fled from the spot. In retaliation, the jawans attacked the tribals and traders in the market, ignoring their commander’s orders. They opened fire at the tribals and traders, beat up people with gun butts, robbed the shops at the market and set afire vehicles.
This is Abujhmarh. The 4,400 square km area in Bastar, surrounded by hills and covered with dense forests, which is still a puzzle for the outer world. These jungles are the habitat of the scheduled Mariya tribe. Mariyas live in 237 villages in the area and depend primarily on Orchha weekly market for supplies. However, on Wednesday 8 August, the villagers from Lanka, Aader, Golegal, Tondabeda, Tultuli, Aasnar, Juada, Jagunda, Orchhameta, Mardel among others, who walked miles across the jungle to visit the weekly market in Orchha, had to return empty-handed as the market was shut.
Sixty-six jawans of district police force and one company of Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) are deployed at Orchha police station and camp. Manoj Soni, a gold and silver trader in the weekly markets of the area says, “It’s a known fact that the Maoists visit Orchha market, wearing clothes similar to the villagers. Even the police know them, but there is an unwritten contract between Maoists and the police — police doesn’t catch the Maoists and Maoists don’t attack on Orchha police station and camp. That’s the reason jawans visit the market without their weapons.”
However, when the villagers held a protest rally on 26 July against Sarkeguda massacre, security personnel cracked down on the villagers. In an alleged retaliatory attack, on 1 August, Naxals who were dressed as villagers, attacked CAF jawan Anand Rathore with an axe and killed him. The incident took place around 3pm when Rathore had visited the market with two of his colleagues.
When the news of the incident reached the other jawans, they came to the market and started attacking the villagers and the traders. “Jawans came out from camp and for the next two hours, they fired continuously from their automatic rifles. They looted the market and beat up brutally whoever they caught hold of. Some of those injured were from remote villages. It’s difficult to visit those places in this rainy season and some people might have succumbed to the injuries. At least a dozen villagers and traders were seriously injured in the brutal act of police. They didn’t even spare women and children,” narrated Chamila Bai, the sarpanch of Orchha.
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On 26 July, Security personnel cracked down on the villagers at a protest rally against Sarkeguda massacre
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Sannu and Budhu from Tutuli village, which is located 31 kms inside the forest, were in despair as they walked in heavy rain hoping to get their supplies from the weekly market. They don’t have a stock of rice and will have to survive on tree roots till the markets open. They said that Vatte Kunjam of Murumwada village had suffered head injuries in the incident but Kunjam’s family members were not willing to take him to hospital which is situated outside the forest as they were scared of police.
Birjuram Chaudhary, a shopkeeper in Orchha, is also a victim of police brutality. His left leg is fractured and is now unable to walk. He says he doesn’t know when the Naxals killed the jawan. Showing his broken leg, he says, “Suddenly firing started and the situation in the market changed to stampede. I saw the jawans beat up Lalu of Bhatbeda village and he suffered head injuries. Then they caught me and thrashed me till I was unconscious.” When he regained his consciousness, he found that his shop had been looted. Bhuneshwar Sahare, who runs a tailor shop in Orchha market, has suffered spinal injuries and has been admitted to Narayanpur hospital.
Ramsingh Rajput lives in Gadhbengal village near Narayanpur. He runs a bicycle repair shop in the weekly markets of the area. “When the firing started, he ran and sat inside a pickup van where a few others were already there. Just as we were about to leave, jawans came and pulled me down from the vehicle. They started beating me with rifle butts and one of them shot at me and the bullet hit my left elbow. I ran towards the police station for help but a policeman shouted ‘catch him and teach a lesson.’ After that, they started thrashing me till I got unconscious,” said Rajput. He has filed a FIR but in the medico-legal report, the doctor hasn’t mentioned about a bullet wound on his elbow.
The jawans picked bicycle tyres from Rajput’s shop and used them to set afire a mini-truck owned by cloth merchant Santosh. “I ran and tried to douse the fire but jawans stopped me even from going near the vehicle,” said Santosh. “When the stampede began, I put all the gold and silver ornaments in a locker in my shop. I then took shelter in a nearby house. When I came back, I saw that the locker was vandalised and 10 kgs of silver and 150 gm gold jewelry were missing. What can you do when the protector turns predator,” said trader Manoj Soni.
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According to inspector Ghritlahre, 14 villagers and for jawans were injured in the incident; (Right) A file photo of a PDS shop in Orchha weekly market.
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Speaking about the incident, 70-year-old Kohle breaks down into tears. She had come walking from Hikul village, 20 kms from Orchha, in search of her son Kamlu who is missing after the incident. A janpad member from Gudadi village, Masa said that his goods and Rs 1,200 cash was robbed by jawans.
The supply of ration has stopped in the government schools of Abujmarh after the incident. School teachers Jaysingh Karma and Lankeshwar Salam, who were witness to the incident said, “The jawans destroyed all the vehicles in the market. They destroyed the fuel tanks of the bikes with axes, shot the tyres and set afire one mini-truck and one pickup van.” Kamluram Usendi, a peon of government residential school of Gudadi is worried as there is no stock of rice in his school. He had come to buy rice for his school which has 50 students.
After vandalising the market, jawans even attacked Orchha village. Kishan Lavatre, a villager from Orchha who was injured, showed his bike that the jawans had destroyed. Budhram, a teenager who has been trading in grain since last year, was also avictim of the violence. The jawans vandalised his shop too.
They also looted computer and photocopy store near the police station that belonged to Bhanuram Usendi. Even the inspector of Orchha police station NL Ghritlahre is stunned by the incident. “Computer shop was very useful for police station as a lot of official work for police was done there. Bhanuram shut the shop immediately after incident took place but they broke the lock and looted it,” said Ghritlahre. When he tried to stop the jawans, they abused him and called him ‘a coward’. “They told me ‘wear bangles and keep sitting inside the room.’” Five FIRs have been lodged against unknown persons in connection with the incident, he informed. The FIRs include charges of arson and robbery, albeit against unknown persons. He added that 14 villagers and four jawans have been injured in the incident and he and a doctor visited the victims in their houses.
Meanwhile, after the incident, a notice issued by Narayanpur SP Mayank Srivstav has been put up in Orchha bus stand asking the tribals not to carry their traditional weapons when visiting public places, especially the markets, and that action will be taken against those who do not follow the orders. However, the decision faced opposition and heavy criticism from the tribal communities in the area. Although there has been no word from the officials, observers say that the order might have to be rolled back.
Since Narayanpur is the constituency of powerful minister of state Cabinet Kedar Kashyap, the incident soon turned into a political issue. State Congress Committee asked a report on the incident from district Congress president Rajnu Netam and subsequently sent an investigation team. Ex-ministers Shiv Netam, Shankar Sodhi and Rajesh Tiwari visited Orchha and spoke with the witnesses and recorded their statements. Minister Kedar Kashyap also announced an inquiry and an investigation team led by DIG Jayant Thorat has been formed. On 2 August, the traders had called for a bandh, in protest against the incident. Most of the weekly markets of the area are yet to open. Even the villagers are scarred to visit the markets.
All the PDS shops that distribute ration to the remote villages of Abujhmarh are located in Orchha. There are 12 PDS shops, but the supply is running out fast. “If the situation doesn’t change immediately, there may be the condition of starvation in Abujhmarh,” says Mangalram Usendi, the secretary of one of the societies that runs PDS shops. Usendi’s society runs six shops that distribute ration for Gudadi, Kochhavada, Dunga, Aader, Pidiakot and Kodoli panchayats. He says, “As of now we have ration, but if the vehicles don’t start coming here soon, then by next week we will face a shortage in supply.” Meanwhile, traders held a meeting recently and have decided to open at least some of the markets in the area in the coming week starting 20 August.
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