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Adivasi Girl gangraped by NGO men at Delhi

The city reaffirmed its tag of being the crime capital after a young girl from Jharkhand was gangraped by an NGO owner and his two friends in northwest Delhi. The girl, who had come to the city looking for a job, was allegedly drugged and raped by the trio. The incident came to light on June 20 after the victim lodged a complaint with the police.

One of the rapists, Shiv Ram, 40, has been arrested. But the main accused, Baldev and Bamdev, are still on the run, said deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Meenu Choudhary.

What is shocking is all three accused are part of NGOs that claim to fight against exploitation of the downtrodden, particularly migrants from Jharkhand.

Bamdev runs an organization, Jharkhand Nyay Manch, while Shivram runs an NGO, Seva Bharti, in Punjabi Bagh. Baldev is employed here. This NGO too claims to take up the cause of the poor, particularly exploitation of maids from Jharkhand by placement agencies.

The police said, the victim claimed she came to Delhi looking for a job. "The girl said she has been working as a part-time maid in the city since December last year," a police officer said.

On June 2, the three men called her to Bamdev's residence under the pretext of some work. All three were drunk at that time. Late in the night, they offered her soft drinks laced with sedatives and she lost consciousness. When she woke up next morning, she had been sexually assaulted.

The trio also threatened her with dire consequences if she complained to the police, a police officer said.

The girl went to church on Monday where she met a relative and confided in her.

"Then she gathered the courage to go to the Rani Bagh police station and lodge a complaint. A medical examination confirmed rape. We have arrested Shiv Ram. The other two are absconding. A case of rape and criminal intimidation has been lodged," said a senior police officer.

Source: TNN | Jun 23, 2011 @ Adivasis.com

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Term us Adivasi in constitution

Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Commission has urged the government to use the term "Adivasi" instead of "small and ethnic groups" in recognising the indigenous people.

The appeal followed the decision of the parliamentary special committee on constitutional amendment that it will recommend for recognition of indigenous people.

In an application addressed to Syeda Sazeda Chowdhury, the chairperson of the National Committee for Implementation of the CHT Peace Accord and the deputy leader of the House, the commission said Adivasi is the correct Bangla term for indigenous people.

Mentioning the recognition of indigenous people as a progressive outlook, the application said India and Nepal have termed the indigenous people "Janajtiya" and "Adivasi Janajati" respectively, which in real sense are synonyms of "Adivasi" in Bangla.

In the application, they also expressed concerns that Suranjit Sengupta MP, the co-chair of the special committee on constitutional amendment, told the media that the term "indigenous peoples" will be replaced by "small and ethnic groups".

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina herself mentioned indigenous people as Adivasi in her different speeches and her party the ruling Awami League in its last election pledges termed indigenous people Adivasi several times, said the commission.

It also reminded the AL government of its election manifesto that includes pledges to ensure human rights, equal opportunities, end of discrimination, and rights to preserve language, literature, culture, and unique lifestyles of the indigenous people.

The application stated that the indigenous communities of Bangladesh retain their distinct characteristics that are different from that of general people, and it is the country's obligation to recognise them, as the government had ratified different conventions.

The application, which was signed by three co-chairs of the CHT Commission Lord Eric Avebury, Advocate Sultana Kamal, and Ida Nicolaisen, said terming indigenous people Adivasi will reaffirm the government's positions as progressive and secular.

The daily star / 24 March 2011

The operation began in the early hours of March 11 when about 350 heavily armed troopers marched into the forests of Dantewada. They returned to their barracks five days later, with three villages aflame, about 300 homes and granaries incinerated, three villagers and three soldiers dead, and three women sexually assaulted, the victims and several eyewitnesses told The Hindu.

Last week, the Chhattisgarh police said three Koya commandos were killed in a Maoist ambush during a routine search, yet journalists attempting to reach the site were turned away by gun-toting special police officers. On visiting the area through a forest route, this correspondent was confronted by the aftermath of what appeared to be an attack by security forces on three tribal settlements in a 15-km radius of the police camp at Chintalnar, which has left hundreds homeless and brutalised.

The following account is based on interviews with villagers who spoke on the record and senior police sources who sought anonymity to speak freely. The names of victims of sexual assault have been changed to protect their identities.

In the first week of March, the police and the Central Reserve Police Force planned an operation to be conducted by the CRPF's elite CoBRA battalion and the police's Koya commandos, a tribal corps of surrendered Maoists and local youth.

A surrendered Maoist had claimed that the guerrillas were running an arms factory at Morpalli, a tour-hour march from the police camp at Chintalnar, a police official told The Hindu. Intelligence inputs indicated that about 100 Maoists, including Jai Kishen, a high-ranking Andhra cadre leader, were present nearby.

 

“The force arrived at 8 in the morning and surrounded the village,” said Nupo Mutta, a former sarpanch of Morpalli. “They fired a few shots in the air and we ran into the forests.”

Madavi Sulla, 30, did not act fast enough. “My husband was sitting in a tree picking tamarind,” said his wife Madavi Hunge. “The force saw him and opened fire. I pleaded with them to stop, but they tore my clothes and threatened me.” Hunge escaped. The police moved further into the village, leaving Sulla's corpse hanging in the tree.

“I was picking ‘tendu patta' on the fields when the force came and said I was spying for the Maoists,” said Aimla Gangi, 45. “They threw me to the ground, pulled off my clothes and molested me in front of my two daughters. They also stole Rs.10,000 from a bag I kept tied around my waist.”

Villagers say the force left by noon, having torched 37 houses. They also picked up Madavi Ganga, 45, his son Bima and his daughter Hurre, 20. “They took us to the Chintalnar police station and put me in a separate cell and stripped me,” said Hurre.

Hurre said she was kept all night in the station and sexually assaulted. Ganga and Bima said the police repeatedly asked them whether Maoists visited their village and beat them through the night. The Madavi family was released when the women of Morpalli demanded their release at the Chintalnar station.

Police sources say they found neither arms factories nor Maoists at Morpalli that day, though they did find a 15-foot memorial commemorating the death of eight Maoists in the April 2010 encounter, in which 76 CRPF troopers were killed near Tarmetla village.

The operation resumed at Timapuram on March 13. “There was a disagreement because the CoBRAs prefer night operations, and the Koyas wanted to operate in the day,” said a source familiar with the operation, “so the Koyas set out on their own.”

En route, the Koyas stopped at Phulanpad where they picked up Barse Bima and Manu Yadav and took them along to Timapuram.

As word spread of the Koyas imminent arrival, Timapuram's resident fled to the forests. “The Koyas came to Timapuram about 2 in the afternoon. They set up a camp, killed our chickens and goats and ate them.” said Timapuram resident Madkam Budra.

Budra said the commandos spent the night at Timapuram, a fact confirmed by the police, and installed sentries to ward off a possible Maoist attack.

The Maoists attacked next morning, on Monday March 14. “We knew the Koyas had spent the night at Timapuram and laid our ambush early morning,” said a Maoist fighter who had participated in the attack and met this correspondent on the outskirts of Timapuram late Sunday night. “About 70 Maoists participated in the attack, including Area Commander Ramanna.”

The ambush lasted for two hours. Three Koyas were killed and nine injured. After the Koyas called for reinforcements, a helicopter flew in to evacuate the injured; the Maoists finally retreated by noon. The police and local newspapers say 37 Maoists were killed in the ambush, but a handwritten note sent to this correspondent by the Maoists claims that only Section Commander Muchaki Ganga was killed.

The Koyas spent the night at the village and left next morning, March 15, for Chintalnar. Before they left, villagers say, the Koyas burnt about 50 buildings, including homes and granaries. They also executed one of their captives, Barse Bima, with an axe. “My husband's hands were tied behind his back, he had been hit with an axe on the base of his neck and twice on his chest,” said Barse Lakhme, who cremated the body.

The other captive, Mannu Yadav, was taken to Chintalnar where, villagers allege, the police shot him and claimed he was a Maoist fighter killed in the ambush. “The body claimed by the police was not a Maoist,” said a senior officer. He said he was tipped off by a Koya. “They killed him because they needed to show something.”

On March 16, villagers say the same company of Koyas surrounded Tarmetla village and burnt about 200 structures, including homes, granaries and woodsheds. Tarmetla's former sarpanch, Gondse Deva, said the Koyas swept through the village, setting fire to the straw roofs, stuffing burning hay into the granaries, burning food, clothes, valuables, money and keepsakes. “The force has also taken away two men, Madavi Handa and Madavi Aita,” said Deva. “We don't know where they are, we think they are dead.”

When she heard the commotion, Madavi Hidme threw all her jewellery and money into a bag before rushing for the forests. “I was stopped by four SPOs and beaten with sticks until I lost consciousness,” she said. “When I awoke, I was naked. My bag was gone.” Hidme has been assaulted so violently that a cut has opened up on the left side of her face; she can't see from her left eye.

Dantewada Collector R.Prasanna is setting up a committee to look into the incidents. “The committee shall be headed by the tehsildar of Konta, along with a representative from the press, civil society and a people's representative,” he told The Hindu. “We will provide Rs. 50,000 in compensation for each house burnt, and will reimburse villagers for their grains, utensils and other possessions. The committee shall submit its report in one month.”

Director-General of Police Vishwa Ranjan did not return phone calls to his office.

Source: The Hindu / March 23, 2011

Tikamgarh (Madhya Pradesh / PTI / 20 Feb):  Apparently tired of abject poverty, a tribal man allegedly axed his wife and two children to death, before killing himself, at village Kharo in the district.Phooli Adivasi (49) also tried to kill his other daughter before hanging himself. An injured Munna has been admitted to the district hospital, police said.

Another son, Vinod (16) was lucky as he was out when the incident took place. When he returned home, he found his mother Jamuni (45), brother Pramod (8) and sister Maya (10) lying dead in the pool of blood at their kuccha house.

The deceased had two other sons and a daughter, who are all married and live outside Tikamgarh district, Vinod told police.

Vinod said that the family had not had meals for the last two days, and this drove his father to take the extreme step.

“His financial condition was worrisome but he used to work,” Tikamgarh Collector Akilesh Shrivastava said, denying that Phooli committed the grisly act because of starvation.

“I sent Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) A R Dhok there, who informed me that the deceased had food stuffs at his place,” he said.

On the other hand, Tikamgarh Zila Panchayat Member Chatarpal Singh and others claimed that there was no food in the house.

Read more at: Adivasis.com  

A senior police officer in Chhattisgarh's restive Bastar region said Thursday that he apologised to tribals for misbehaviour and loot carried out by his subordinates, and even distributed money to the villagers to compensate them.

The poor men and women of villages Pandewar, Gondpal and Kuper of Dantewada district had begun running away Wednesday in anticipation of further police excesses when a convoy of Dantewada district Senior

Superintendent of Police S.R.P. Kalluri reached their village.

But a completely different scene emerged in the impoverished forested insurgency-hit villages when Kalluri personally offered apology to them  for police misbehaviour and paid Rs.13,000 to tribals to compensate loot of their rice, pet chickens and other items by policemen earlier this week.

'My fellows of state police numbering around 40 extremely misbehaved

with villagers. They butchered their chickens and looted their items,' Kalluri told IANS over phone.

'I have taken their act very seriously and will penalise them though I offered apology to each of the villagers personally and distributed over Rs.13,000 to compensate their losses,' he added.

Kalluri said loot by policemen was highly deplorable and such acts create a bad image about the police force among the residents of Maoist-hit forested areas.

Sources said local policemen visited the three villages Monday after Maoists removed fish plates of a portion of rail track in Dantewada district that derailed a goods train loaded with iron ore of public sector mining major NMDC Ltd.

After a brief interrogation, the policemen took some villagers to the Dantewada police station without any reason and also looted their pet chickens and pigeons besides some ration such as rice.

The act of policemen created widespread anger among residents of the three villages. Dantewada legislator Bheema Mandawi investigated the matter and asked the SSP to step in.

30th December, 2010 (IANS)

Adivasis.com

The complaint has been registered at Moti Nagar police station in west Delhi. The police said the investigations are on but no case has been registered. The woman had been working at the diplomat’s residence in Kenya for the last three years. Her complaint says that she had not been paid her monthly salary and the diplomat allegedly raped her for three years.

The diplomat has denied the allegations. The woman came to Delhi in 2006 and lived with one of her aunts. “My aunt worked at the house of the diplomat’s friend. He asked my aunt whether I could accompany them to Kenya since he had a wife and two children and he required a domestic help, she agreed and I went with them,” said the woman.

The diplomat told her that living abroad would help her learn English, which would be an advantage when she comes back to India. But the woman was hesitant and told him that she would first work for six months to see how she things work out and in case of a problem, she would come to India to which the diplomat reportedly agreed. But soon after they reached Kenya in February 2007, the diplomat started misbehaving with her and also stopped her salary.

December 4th, 2010 / DC Correspondent

Adivasis’ News @ http://www.fb.com/Adivasi.Tribal.Indigenous.India

Some victims even complained of misbehaviour by the eviction party. No prior notice was served to these innocent poor Adivasis by the Forest department. These Adivasi people have been living in these forest villages since generations. “Since Adivasis are forest dwellers, they have every right to settle in forest land and the Forest Right Act, 2006 has confirmed this right” many leaders of Adivasi organisations pointed out. Hence violation of this Act is an offence. Therefore, the Forest department and other security forces who are evicting the Adivasis should be punished, the leaders demanded.

It is to be mentioned that, all the victims of this eviction drive are the supporters of BTC chief Hagrama Mahilary. In the last BTC poll they cast their vote for Hagrama. But, now they are helpless. Not a single BPF party leader is standing beside these poor victims in this crucial time, the Adivasi leaders rued.

Already a massive ‘green hunt’ is going on in the dense forests of Kokrajhar and Chirang districts by the timber ‘Mafias’. Sources said that the Forest department, police and politicians are in a nexus and favour these mafias and helping deforestation. “Adivasis are not involved in deforestation, they know sustainable use of forest products. So, what purpose will be served by evicting Adivasis from their dwellings, questioned the Adivasi leaders.

Protesting this eviction drive and demanding early rehabilitation of the poor Adivasis of those forest villages, eight Adivasi organisations have jointly called a 12-hour Assam bandh on November 4. Later, if the situation warrants, they will launch a strong democratic agitation.

Two churches razed amid eviction of Santhal tribals in Assam

Christiantoday / 3 November 2010: A total of about 1,215 families have been affected and the victims include children and pregnant women.

Two churches were allegedly burnt down as the Assam Forest Department pounced upon houses of tribal families living in Lungsung area of Kokrajhar district, Assam. According to sources at the site, a Catholic church at Kodomtola Village and a Pentecost church at Gadatola were burnt while an eviction team savagely burnt over 400 hutments belonging to the Santhal community.

A total of about 1,215 families have been affected and the victims include children and pregnant women. Supposedly, more than 200 men were employed to evict the Adivasis who although were living in Assam for decades had to flee their homes as they were yet to be granted the tribal status.

But a fact-finding report by two activists, informs that the Adivasis occupied the area much before 1965 and in 1974 were also promised land entitlements by the government. The report informed that the eviction team ruthlessly dealt with the Adivasis and even arrested about 44 men who stood against the women being molested. "The victims comprise of women, children, babies, lactating mothers, pregnant women, sick and infirmed. They have lost everything and are spending cold nights under the open sky," said the report.

The leaders of the villages have reported to the local media but so far there has been little response. Apart from the two churches, eight primary schools as well were burnt in the assault.

The two activists – Satyanath Tudu and Stephen Lakra – have called on NGOs to spring into action by providing food and shelter to the 45 villages affected. In addition to that, counselling and medical care must be provided to the raped victims.

Though 40 to 50 lakh Santhals had lived in Assam for between 50 and 100 years the Assam government had not given them tribal status, he told media. Santhal tribe is the largest tribe in India, found mainly in the Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar.

Assam shuts against eviction of Adivasis

IndianExpress/05Nov2010: Normal life was disrupted in several districts of Assam on Thursday following a 12-hour bandh called by seven Adivasi organisations to register their protest against eviction of about 1,500 families of the community from reserved forests in Kokrajhar district last week.

Bandh supporters took to violence in several districts, damaging government as well as private vehicles. In Lakhimpur district in eastern Assam, at least one person sustained severe burn injuries when people set his motorcycle on fire for allegedly defying the bandh. Bandh supporters also damaged vehicles in Dibrugarh, Udalguri, Sonitpur and Baska districts.

Former Jharkhand chief minister and Jharkhand Vikash Parishad (JVP) leader Babulal Marandi, who visited the affected area in Kokrajhar district Thursday, met the evicted Adivasi people and accused the state government and the Bodoland Territorial Council of particularly targeting the community.

Khampha Borgoyari, deputy chief executive member of the Bodoland Territorial Council, said there was no question of discriminating against the Adivasis during the eviction drive. “The people who have been evicted in the past few days comprise Adivasis, Bodos, Nepali and Rajbangshis, and they had encroached the forest in the past four years,” Borgoyari said.

Giving a break-up of the evicted people, Borgoyari said while there were about 1,400 Adivasis families and 600 Bodo families apart from a few hundred Nepali and Rajbangshi families. “But it is a fact that most of the Adivasis are from West Bengal and Jharkhand,” he claimed.

The Maoist act of holding four policemen hostage and then killing one, has set off a huge war of nerves within the topmost Maoist echelons. And it is this that is holding up release of the remaining three policemen, informed sources told HT on Sunday. The problem lies in the caste profile of those held hostage. One is a Yadav (Abhay Yadav), one a Muslim (Ehsan Khan) and one a Kayastha (Rupesh Kumar Sinha). The tribal, Lucas Tete was executed on Friday.

The killing of the tribal cop has set off a wave of revulsion in the Maoists’ liberated zones as far away as Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand. While mainstream tribal leaders in Jharkhand have condemned the killing of Tete, the tribal leadership within the Maoist echelons led by zonal commander Birbal Murmu has now laid the blame on Arvind Yadav, another zonal commander.

 

The Maoists are now finding it difficult to eliminate the Yadav in custody because it is from this caste that their top leaders in the Magadh and Kaimur areas come from. Then, killing a Muslim is as dangerous as killing a Yadav. It is from the Muslim community that many leaders in the Maoist ranks and its front organisations come from.

“Violence against entrenched political castes and communities such as Yadavs and Muslims is something the Maoist leadership will not find easy to condone,” said an intelligence officer on condition of anonymity.

“Politically, it could trigger a chain reaction that could isolate the Maoists from base support of the very people, who had hid, fed and transported them,” he said.

Source: September 05, 2010 / Hindustan Times

A young adibasi girl in India was forcefully stripped, molested, to walk naked for almost 8 kilometer and blackmailed through MMS, being beaten and groped by group of hundreds of mocking men along the way, as punishment for falling in love with a boy who belong from another community.

 

The stripped, molested, to walk naked for almost 8 kilometre and blackmailed through MMS incident occurred in month of April 2010, but the adibasi (tribal area) girl was too distressed to tell police at the same time as the tribal area village leaders kept silent.

Police acted against village leaders after being made aware of the incident’s recorded video with sound being sent around in a MMS clip dubbed named as “Adibasi girl”.

Birbhum district of West Bengal police officers arrested five men on Monday 9th August 2010 in this forcefully stripped, molested and naked shameful walk case.

Indian Media and news paper reports described the stripped, molested and naked shameful walk video as horrendous, noting how the girl had “a shocked, departed look on her face as she staggers along covered in dust muck tracks”.