Friday, April 09, 2010

The Business of Killing and Getting killed

The tribals are forced to shoot the easy prey -- the poor jawans from Bihar or Orissa who hardly had any choice but to join the forces.

The poor armymen and the police in turn are forced to kill the poor tribals.

Because they are the people who come face to face.

I am tired of the reasonings of why the tribals side with the Maosists -- I know they have incentives to offer, like an alternative goverment, a justice system in place as opposed to a corrupt and failed state judiciary.. I'm also tired of the 'success stories' of Salva Judum -- the state also has incentives to offer in getting the tribals to fight among themselves.

Both the 'Naxalite' thinktanks and the 'state', with all their good or bad intentions (be it the money in the mines, the social justice they read in books, sheer existential dilemma, an urge to save the tribals from the goverment and Multinationals or a similar urge to save the same people from the Maoists' hands..) live "happily ever after". This happiness includes the pride in giving up the silver spoon for a social cause.

Then there are cleansing methods like areal strikes, in which big guns can operate themselves without the fear of getting hurt.

A third party who makes hay in this mess is the 'Parivar', who want to take the Adivasis into their army and prepare them for other types of genocides.

I am sure the days are coming when the people realize they are being taken for a ride, and kick all these outsiders out. I mean, if any of them remain.

5 comments:

Sudeep said...

as i finish writing this, anoop puts this status message on fb: "Can someone please do caste/tribe profiling for all those who have been killed in state vs maoists gladiatorial battles in this country? History shows that in galdiatorial battles only slaves fight from both sides for the pleasure of ruling Romans..." You said it.

Unknown said...

its a good summery of whats happening. Helped me guide my thoughts. thanks

Sudeep said...

Thanks Gouri.. That is a compliment:-)

Neeraj Bhope said...

We all have some or the other grievance with the 'state'. Democracy means one needs to participate in a peaceful political process to change things. Any violent attack on this accepted norm of the society has to be dealt, with all means possible if necessary, else society as we know will cease to exist. Are you basing your theory of state forces being all 'slaves' on facts or opinion? In my opinion the composition of the 'state' force does not matter, the battle has to be fought regardless.

Sudeep said...

Dear Neeraj,

Yes I agree 'in democracy one needs to participate', so it is sad that a majority of people in our country do not have any say in this 'democracy', and they are not allowed to participate.

My friend Vidya Bhushan Rawat said :
"We all know how the forest act was sought to be scuttled by the powerful environment lobby of the corporates. But none of them ever question as how come mining and sucking of the entire forest is serving ecology and environment. Tribal question is a question of ecology and environment. Let them be the guide to it.."

Also see this post at Insight. [From the post: "It has become more important now to support greater, meaningful autonomy to the Adivasis in the Dandakaranya region. And it wll ibe meaningful only if all kinds of plainspeople, including the Maoists and their overground supporters, have to be persuaded that their role in Adivasi affairs has very little moral legitimacy. They cannot use the Adivasi lands as battle grounds or debating arenas to score points over their ideological opponents.."]