India’s War on Maoists is Backed by a Parallel War on Rights Activists

Office of the Ghandian Vanvesi Chetra Ashram bulldozed in 2009, Dantewada, Chhattisgarh

This article appeared in Outlook India on February 1, 2010.

The war on Maoists is backed by a parallel war on rights activists

Jyoti Punwani

There are things I haven’t forgotten about that October night 30 years ago, like the shock of discovering that my knees were shaking as the banging on the door grew louder. The voices, coarse and angry, were asking for P.V. Bhaktavatsalam, the lawyer who had dared to defend those charged with being Naxalites in a state obsessed with eliminating them. The parallels with modern-day Chhattisgarh couldn’t be greater.

Back then, between August and October 1980, ten young men had been killed in police encounters in the North Arcot and Dharmapuri districts. Their crime? Organising peasants in that backward region, where the Naxalites had a base. M.G. Ramachandran, then chief minister, had given the police, headed by the megalomaniacal Walter Dawaram, a carte blanche to crush the peasant movement. The police went about their task in the only manner they know: eliminating the leaders and arresting those protesting these murders for sedition.

Nepal: Leaders of Three Parties Discuss Formation of National Coalition Government

UCPNM Vice Chairman Baburam Bhattarai

UML President Madhav Nepal and Congress President Girija Koirala

This article appeared in Review Nepal on February 1, 2010.

Leaders discuss for changing the government

Kathmandu: Senior leaders of the big three parties on Monday have principally agreed for forming the next national coalition government but did not reached on any concrete conclusion on the modalities and procedures including others.

A meeting of the HLPM held at the residence of Koirala at Maharajgunj on Monday morning, the leaders have discussed on various ranges of issues including forming the state restructuring commission, finalizing the content of joint resolution motion to address the Maoist grievances on the issue of President Dr. Ram Baran Yadhav and forming the next coalition government.

Senior leaders from the Nepali congress and Maoist but from the UML only the chairman Jhala Nath Khanal was invited for having discussion on the issue of forming next coalition government.

Maoist leaders including chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’, vice chairmen Dr. Baburam Bhattrai and Narayankaji Shrestha, Nepali Congress parliamentary party leader Ram Chandra Poudel, Spokesperson arjun Narshing KC and general secretary Bimalendra Nidhi and chairman of CPN-UML Jhalanath Khanal were also present in the meeting.