Chhattisgarh: Caught off guard, govt crushes ‘tribal uprising’

Raipur: The Pathalgadi movement, a campaign launched by a “coterie of outsiders” in six panchayats of Bagicha block in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district to establish self-governance in the tribal-dominated villages, caught the local administration off guard.

On April 22, a group of activists under the banner of “Sarva Adivasi Samaj” organised a massive rally of tribals in the village of Bachgaon in the district, where they announced that the tribal-dominated villages would be guided by the laws framed by the Gram Sabhas, not by the state or the Central governments, as per the fifth schedule of the Constitution, thus literally declaring the villages autonomous republics.

Tribal men and women armed with their traditional weapons such as bows, arrows and slingshots participated in the rally and vowed to bar entry of outsiders and even government officials or policemen into their areas.

“The villages will be guided by the laws framed by the Gram Sabhas, not by the laws of the state government or the Centre. Not a single inch of land in our area belongs to either state government or the Centre," said the leaders addressing the tribals in the rally.

The movement for "self-governance" of tribal villages had gathered steam in six panchayats in no time with the locals erecting huge stone plaques measuring 15 ft in height and four ft wide outside their villages, declaring them autonomous under the Panchayats (Extension of Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), which provides for self-governance in the scheduled (tribal-dominated) areas in the country.

“We have no problem as long as the movement remains democratic,”chief minister Raman Singh said initially.

However, the “tone” of the leaders of the movement in the panchayat later alerted the local administration.

“The leaders were misrepresenting the Constitution to trigger a tribal uprising in the area,” a senior police officer posted in Jashpur district told this newspaper.

“It was a conspiracy by some outsiders to disturb peace and create social disharmony in the area,” state home minister Ramsevak Paikre said.

Mr Paikre’s statement came in the wake of reported warning by intelligence that the movement was causing religious divide in the tribal areas.

On April 24, the Jashpur royal family led by BJP MP Ranveer Singh Judeo started a march of tribals to the panchayat, under the name of “Sadbhavana Yatra”.

The Jashpur royal family was said to be enjoying considerable influence over Hindu tribals in the area.

Former Union minister and Jashpur royal family member late Dilip Singh Judeo had launched “Ghar Wapsi” campaign in a missionary zeal to bring Christian tribals back into the fold of Hinduism, thus, endearing himself to the local Hindu adivasis.

Later, a clash ensued between two groups of tribals, when some rally participants had started demolishing the stone plaques put up by Pathalgadi movement supporters.

Pro-movement tribals had allegedly held six officials and 15 policemen hostage, provoking police to launch a crackdown on the leaders of Pathalgadi stir.

“Eight persons, including a retired IAS officer Herman Kindo and a former NGO employee Joseph Tigga, were arrested for inciting villagers. The situation is now under control,” Jashpur district superintendent of police Prashant Singh told the media.

Three more activists, Dawood Kuzur, Subhash Kuzur and Peter Kuzu, were later arrested in connection with the incident.

“We are looking for 45 others involved in the movement,” a senior police officer told this newspaper in Jashpur.

There was an alleged attempt to spread the movement, which began in Jharkhand, across other tribal regions in the country.

Incidentally, the Opposition Congress joined the ruling BJP to oppose the movement.

“The stone plaques contained objectionable writings. We cannot approve it,” Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader T. S. Singhdeo said.

Intelligence sources said that the Pathalgadi movement in Jashpur district appeared to be petering out due to lack of political support coupled with massive crackdown on the activists by the police.

“The Pathalgadi movement has caught us unawares, but it is checked, at least in Jashpur district,” a senior police officer said.

Incidentally, the Pathalgadi movement took off in six panchayats in Jashpur just 12 days after the Centre removed the district from the list of Naxal-hit districts that are concentrated in central and eastern parts.