In times of the great Indian economic boom Rs 1500 a month is still worth risking your life for. Of the fifty five people butchered by naxalites in Bijapur in Chhattisgarh 39 were Special Police Officers (SPOs) and 16 were from the Chhattisgarh Armed Force. The number of dead SPOs can increase as more than one dozen are critically injured. Don't get misled by the word officer as these SPOs get a meager Rs 1500 per month from the government and are occasionally armed. They work as police informers and are drawn from the local tribal population. In no way did the SPOs represent state power but still became naxal targets.
The naxal attack happened early morning on March 15, just a day after police shot dead 14 people in Nandigram in West Bengal. But somehow everyone including the media has got stuck up with Nandigram while Bijapur seems to have got lost somewhere.
Nandigram started debates like the beginning of the end of Buddhadeb Bhattacharya but what about the perpetrators of Bijapur? Not a tear is being shed for the Bijapur victims.
The Indian state is still not clear on whether Naxilism is a law and order problem or has socio-economic roots. More than 171 districts are affected and the Naxal dream of an uninterrupted red corridor is slowly shaping into reality. This stage was not reached overnight. Successive governments failed to address the core issues. Hunger is just one of them.
Perhaps it is all about power. There is no such thing called equality in this matrix. And those who aspire to be there at the top will adopt whatever means possible to reach there and then ruthlessly try to save their position. Nandigram showed that this holds true for the comrades in West Bengal.
But this holds true for the Naxals more than anyone else. Bijapur has once again shown how? High sounding ideological songs for those who can be swayed and bullets for those who get to know about the reality. After all, most of the SPOs at some point had a soft corner for the ultras. That they dared to move out of that fold meant they deserved death. No one is interested in wining hearts. Complete submission is what they desire.
It's time that the Indian state gets its act together. If there are people willing to risk their lives for Rs 1500 a month surely supply lines to the jungle can be choked. Shaking hands is fine but it has to be from both sides.
It is being alleged that Naxalites had taken shield behind the women folk in Nandigram. This should also be investigated by the CBI and if it is found to be true the entire incident will have to be looked at from a different perspective. More so when Buddhadeb had said he was willing to move the chemical hub to some other location. Law and Order after all is a state subject.
About the AuthorHemender Sharma A chance reporter, reporting for CNN-IBN from Bhopal. Has reported for the Sun Magazine, Delhi MidDay, Hindustan Times, Asian Age and Sahara Samay in ...Read Morefirst published:March 16, 2007, 20:07 ISTlast updated:March 16, 2007, 20:07 IST
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In times of the great Indian economic boom Rs 1500 a month is still worth risking your life for. Of the fifty five people butchered by naxalites in Bijapur in Chhattisgarh 39 were Special Police Officers (SPOs) and 16 were from the Chhattisgarh Armed Force. The number of dead SPOs can increase as more than one dozen are critically injured. Don't get misled by the word officer as these SPOs get a meager Rs 1500 per month from the government and are occasionally armed. They work as police informers and are drawn from the local tribal population. In no way did the SPOs represent state power but still became naxal targets.
The naxal attack happened early morning on March 15, just a day after police shot dead 14 people in Nandigram in West Bengal. But somehow everyone including the media has got stuck up with Nandigram while Bijapur seems to have got lost somewhere.
Nandigram started debates like the beginning of the end of Buddhadeb Bhattacharya but what about the perpetrators of Bijapur? Not a tear is being shed for the Bijapur victims.
The Indian state is still not clear on whether Naxilism is a law and order problem or has socio-economic roots. More than 171 districts are affected and the Naxal dream of an uninterrupted red corridor is slowly shaping into reality. This stage was not reached overnight. Successive governments failed to address the core issues. Hunger is just one of them.
Perhaps it is all about power. There is no such thing called equality in this matrix. And those who aspire to be there at the top will adopt whatever means possible to reach there and then ruthlessly try to save their position. Nandigram showed that this holds true for the comrades in West Bengal.
But this holds true for the Naxals more than anyone else. Bijapur has once again shown how? High sounding ideological songs for those who can be swayed and bullets for those who get to know about the reality. After all, most of the SPOs at some point had a soft corner for the ultras. That they dared to move out of that fold meant they deserved death. No one is interested in wining hearts. Complete submission is what they desire.
It's time that the Indian state gets its act together. If there are people willing to risk their lives for Rs 1500 a month surely supply lines to the jungle can be choked. Shaking hands is fine but it has to be from both sides.
It is being alleged that Naxalites had taken shield behind the women folk in Nandigram. This should also be investigated by the CBI and if it is found to be true the entire incident will have to be looked at from a different perspective. More so when Buddhadeb had said he was willing to move the chemical hub to some other location. Law and Order after all is a state subject.
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