For several years now, the state of Chhattisgarh in central India has been in the news as security forces have waged a protracted war in its southern districts against Maoists and those declared to be their supporters. Describing the challenge as the "biggest national security challenge", the new Home Minister of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rajnath Singh, has promised a massive strike against Maoist leaders and cadres. More troops, more money and more weapons are expected in the new strategy for eliminating the Maoists. To be sure, the present commitment is but a continuation of previous efforts which were similarly aimed at eradicating 'left-wing extremism'. Besides posing a security challenge, the Maoists offer a serious threat to the planned path of industrial development based on exploitation of natural resources as they have been forcibly resisting the entry of the state and corporate capital into the forest areas.
Given their strong rural and adivasi bases, uprooting the Maoists has not been an easy task. Nevertheless, the state policy is premised on the understanding that until and unless the Maoists abjure violence, the offensive against them will continue. Consequently, the 'affected' districts of Chhattisgarh have been engulfed in a swathe of violence and are, for all practical purposes, a war zone. In tandem with the state's propaganda, a strong public opinion has grown against the Maoists and their 'menace'. What is overlooked is that the war is not between two evenly matched adversaries. The state's coercive apparatus is far stronger than that of the Maoists, and there is no level playing field in Chhattisgarh or in any of the districts where the state is fighting what it views as the enemy. Undoubtedly, crimes committed by the Maoists need to be investigated and prosecuted, but what of those committed by state forces and the vigilante groups it supports? The story of Sodi Shambo gives an idea of how the rule of law has been compromised in this unequal war which the state has declared against its own people.
A brush with death
A few years ago, Sodi Shambo, resident of Gompad village in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, was subjected to a gruesome encounter. On the morning of 1 October 2009, she was grievously shot in the leg, allegedly by the security forces and Special Police Officers (SPOs), who had surrounded her village in a bid to flush out suspected Maoists. While nine people were reported to have died in the combing operation, Sodi Shambo survived to tell a tale. That was just the beginning of her travails.
Within a fortnight, when news had travelled to Himanshu Kumar's Vanvasi Chetna Ashram (VCA), and several affected villagers arrived to narrate their experiences, Sodi Shambo was in dire trouble and needed urgent medical attention. Since her village had never seen any development activity worth its name, she had no choice but to travel to Dantewada for help. VCA was known for its activism among the adivasi villagers who were at the receiving end of violence by Salwa Judum, the state-sponsored militia propped up to counter the Maoists. Engaged in the task of implementing various government schemes as well as facilitating the resettlement of villagers in strife-torn areas based on a Supreme Court order, Himanshu Kumar and his Gandhian ashram had garnered a reputation for fearlessness despite intimidation and attacks. Hence, the VCA was possibly the only place for Sodi Shambo to seek refuge. Assisted by fellow villagers, she arrived hobbling and her injured leg looked twice the size of her emaciated body. Given the gravity of the injuries and the fear of secondary infections, Kumar proceeded to take her to Delhi by train under his supervision and protection. She was immediately admitted into a well-known hospital where doctors performed a complicated surgery on her bullet-pierced leg, a part of which had rotted already. Notwithstanding the inordinate delay of nearly three weeks, her leg was saved, though it was held together with metal pieces and caused her much pain. Through the help of a translator she recorded her statement from her hospital bed, which was filed in the Supreme Court by Himanshu Kumar. A vigil was mounted in the ward by activists to protect her from the police.