NEW DELHI: An Independent Citizens' Initiative of writers, senior journalists and former civil servants that visited Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh has recommended that the Salwa Judum campaign in the district be stopped immediately, its members disarmed and the State Government reasserted its control.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, the team members said they had found evidence of burning and looting of houses in villages, unrecorded killings, violence against women and summary arrests by the Salwa Judum in collaboration with the State Government.

The team comprised historian Ramachandra Guha, editor of Prabhat Khabar Harivansh, social activist Farah Naqvi, former Secretary to the Government of India, Vishakhapatnam A. S. Sarma, Professor of Sociology in Delhi University Nandini Sundar, and former editor of Hindustan Times and The Indian Express B. G. Verghese.

"Remove top police brass"

The team appealed to the Central Government and the Chhattisgarh Government to constitute an independent body like the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to institute an impartial, credible and time-bound inquiry into the incidents of violence by Maoists and Salwa Judum cadres in Dantewada during the last one year. They said those found guilty of violence, murder or destruction of property should be tried and punished according to law.

They recommended that the Chhattisgarh Government revamp all top police officials in the district.

Pointing out that many of the 3,200 Special Police Officers (SPOs) appointed by the State Government were unemployed, untrained and under-aged, the team said that young people were becoming the "cannon fodder of militarisation in the State."

They said the district administration had lent full support to the Salwa Judum, and that according to villagers, people were deemed to be Naxalite supporters if they did not join the Salwa Judum campaign.

A failure

"We believe that as a method of combating revolutionary violence, the Salwa Judum has been a failure. The State cannot outsource law and order to under-aged, untrained and unaccountable civilians. In the year since Salwa Judum started, civil strife has increased and the administration is on the verge of collapse," Nandini Sundar said.

According to the team, a national dialogue must be initiated on the most humane and effective method to combat revolutionary violence.

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