We are
deeply saddened at the indiscriminate killing of 18 adivasis in Kottaguda
Panchayat of Bijapur district as part of the security force’s combing
operations. Even if they were attending a Maoist meeting, the CRPF should not
have opened fire so carelessly knowing that villagers were present, and sexual
assault is certainly not part of any ‘encounter’. Avoiding loss of civilian
lives should be the highest priority for both sides.
Instead
of heeding the Supreme Court’s directions, the Chhattisgarh and Central
Governments have consciously chosen to step up paramilitary operations, retain
SPOs under the new name of Armed Auxiliary Force, and have continued to violate
human rights on a large scale. Even the CBI enquiry into the attack on Tadmetla
and 2 other villages which the Court had directed should be completed within
six weeks of the July 5 2011 order has been stalled by the state government,
with the SPOs’ attacking the CBI itself. We reiterate the urgent need for the
government to call off its combing operation and initiate peace talks, and for
the Maoists to respond. We also reiterate the need for a judicial enquiry into
this and all previous killings of adivasis from 2005.
Ramchandra Guha, E.A.S. Sarma, Nandini Sundar
