Civil society raises voice against Ops Kagar, urges govt to immediately respond to Maoists' call for ceasefire

The informed collective of concerned citizens, a conglomerate of various socio-political organisations and activists working for the protection of civil rights, has called for an immediate ceasefire between the central security forces and armed activists of the CPI Maoists. National President of the People Union for Civil Liberties (PIUCL), Kavita Srivastava, convened a meeting with the civil rights organisations and individuals on Sunday and reiterated the demand for calling off Operation Kagar launched by the Centre since January 2024.

Srivastava said that following a round table discussion in Hyderabad on March 24, a group of citizens appealed to the govt of India and the CPI(Maoist) to observe a ceasefire and resolve the conflict through a peace dialogue. "The CPI(Maoist) responded positively, and on March 28, they agreed not to resort to violence unless attacked and come to the negotiation table," she said, adding that since then, they issued press releases on at least four occasions, but the state is yet to respond. According to rough estimates, more than 400 people, mostly tribals, were killed since the launch of Operation Kagar in the country.

The meeting was attended by Thiruvallur MP Shashikanth Senthil of Congress, CPIML MP from Bihar Raja Ram Singh, Viluppuram MP of VCK (Dalit Panthers of India) D Ravikumar, CPM Polit Buro member Vijoo Krishnan, and National General Secretary of CPI D Raja, among others, who unanimously condemned the ongoing killings in the tribal-dominated central India—particularly Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Jharkhand.

Congress MP Senthil admitted that there was silence even on the part of the opposition parties, which needs to be addressed. "Congress, which is in power in Jharkhand, remained silent when there was a killing of eight Maoists in the state in an encounter recently, which makes it even more important that everyone understands the gravity of the situation," he said, calling upon the rights defenders to use more aggressive and creative campaigns to mobilise public opinion against killings.

Siraj, a civil rights activist from Jharkhand, pointed out that the police encounter occurred at a time when the Maoists had already appealed for a ceasefire and peace dialogue. "In the tribal-dominated areas of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, common people are the worst sufferers as they are unable to move out to the forests and are living under the threat of shelling and bullets round the clock," he said.

An activist from Chhattisgarh, Soni Sori, said that the tribal women and children in the Bastar region are the worst sufferers as the security forces are either killing the menfolk or pressuring the family members to make the male members surrender as Maoists. "What is the guarantee that if the Maoists put down their weapons, the rights of the tribals would be restored?" she asked.

While Ravikumar pointed out that a large population of tribals and Dalits in his area has not helped them seek their rights, Vijoo said that the celebrations around encounters must stop. "The tribals are our own people, and they should not be killed. Even if they have deviated from their path, they must be given an opportunity to engage in dialogue," he said.

Noted author Bela Bhatia and Professor Hargopal stressed that eliminating the armed cadres of CPI Maoists cannot be a solution unless the lot of deprived tribals is improved. "The Constitution provides for protection rights like PESA in Scheduled V areas and empowerment of Gram Sabha, but successive govts have ignored it," Hargopal said.

Srivastava said that since the President of India is the custodian of Schedule V areas, they also wrote a letter to her on April 24, calling for her intervention in the tribal areas where mass killing is going on. "More than 126 organisations and 200 individuals are signatories in the letter, and we are hoping for her intervention in the matter," she said.