This transcript of a radio program appeared in Radio Australia on February 12, 2010.
More than just Maoists caught in India’s military offensive
The Indian government has vowed to unleash a massive offensive on Maoist rebels in five central and eastern Indian states, worst-hit by the insurgency. But there are voices of caution from civil society that an armed confrontation could further hurt the marginalised and largely indigenous populations in the worst affected states.
Presenter: Murali Krishnan, New Delhi . Speakers: Linga, Chhattisgarh resident accused of Maoist links; Himanshu Kumar, social activist, Bastar district in Chhattisgarh; Ajay Sahni, Indian strategic expert.
(Sounds of crows and farm equipment in open fields) KRISHNAN: For the last three months, Linga, a tribal from the central state of Chhattisgarh, the epicenter of Maoist violence in the country, has been living in the outskirts of the capital New Delhi working as a farm hand. He’s scared to go back to his village fearing that security forces will arrest him again on charges of being a Maoist sympathiser and helping the rebels. He managed to obtain bail after much difficulty in October last year and fled his village to seek temporary shelter. He is unsure when he’s going back.
LINGA: (Translation from Hindi) Villagers in my district feel helpless. We are being exploited, our land is being seized and it is not the government that is helping us, but the Maoist cadres. There is no law in place and though the country got independence, 60 years back we were left out. We still have to struggle, and fight for our levy. Read the rest of this entry »