The Indian government claims that by March 2010 they hope to have eradicated the Maoists and anyone who dares to support them and resists the government’s armed presence. According to the Indian state, tens of thousands of government “security personnel” will combat “against 6,000-7,000 armed Maoist cadres”.
The military offensive has been accompanied by illegal arrests and detainment of progressive leaders in the area, such as Raja Sarkhel and Prasun Chatterjjee, by the reactionary forces, under the CPI (Marxist), an organization apparently Communist in name only, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Activists have been heavily tortured to try to force them to give false testimonies against fellow activists.
Progressive Indian political leader Kobad Ghandy was also abducted, illegally detained and tortured for three days and nights while deprived of medicine and medical treatment for life-threatening health problems. The Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP) has been actively campaigning for the immediate release of Ghandy and an immediate end to all illegal arrests and detentions and human rights abuses.
Operation Green Hunt follows on the heels of the vast offensive against the people of Lalgarh-Jangalmahal in West Bengal starting June 2009. An All-India Fact Finding Team which was organized by progressive forces to look into the atrocities being committed by the West Bengal government was prevented from reaching Lalgarh. The members of the fact-finding team were arrested, maltreated and detained. An international team of Amnesty International was also prevented from entering Lalgarh.
The International League of Peoples Struggle Canada chapter (ILPS-Canada), and its member organizations and allies, support the call of the Indian people to demand that their government immediately and unconditionally withdraw its armed forces engaged in the military-paramilitary offensive against the oppressed adivasi people of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Maharashtra, Bengal, Karnataka and other regions.
Furthermore, we support the Indian people who are demanding that their government take concrete measures to stop the plunder of the people’s land, forests, hills and rivers by Indian and multinational corporations. This requires the scrapping of hundreds of MoUs signed by the central and state governments with various corporations who plan exploit natural resources at the expense of the poor and marginalized citizens of India.
We also extend our solidarity and support to the struggle of the tribal people in Lalgarh-Jangalmahal.
We join the people of India in demanding:
– an immediate end to Operation Green Hunt and the withdrawal of all military and paramilitary forces;
– an immediate end to the “Lalgarh Operation” against the tribal people of Lalgarh-Jangal mahal and the withdrawal of all military and police-paramilitary forces from Lalgarh and nearby areas;
– the closing of all “internment” camps;
– the immediate release of all political prisoners;
– the Indian government provide due compensation to the people displaced and impacted by Operation Green Hunt and Operation Lalgarh, and punish those military, para-military and police officials responsible for violence, rape, loot and other crimes;
– the repeal of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 2008
– free access to affected areas for fact-finding and solidarity teams and journalists;
– that the Central and State governments in India should initiate a dialogue with the people’s movements and accept their just demands.
Resist imperialist globalization and plunder!
Long live the courageous resistance of the people of India!
** Thanks to the following sources for information for this statement: the chairperson of the ILPS, KASAMA, and other sites & blogs.
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