The People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) welcomes the CPI (Maoist)’s statement following the landmark judgement of the Supreme Court on the Salwa Judum reassuring the SPOs’ that the Maoists don’t see them as enemies.
The Maoists have extended their co-operation towards ensuring a smooth transition for the SPOs by undertaking the responsibility of rehabilitating them and ensuring their livelihood if they return to their villages, and break all connections with state forces. This statement is of significance for the following reasons.
- It allays the hysteria being built up in the media about the retaliatory violence that will be wreaked by the Maoists following the disarming and disbanding of the SPOs.
- It allays anxieties on the part of the SPOs concerning their safety and livelihood.
- It alerts us to the possibility of the Chhattisgarh Government simply reconstituting the Koya commandos under another name.
The Maoists are thus attempting to repair the schism in the fabric of Adivasi society fostered by the state through the Salwa Judum .We hope that the State and Central governments will not in any way hinder this possibility and will indeed act on the SC judgement in both letter and spirit.
Paramjeet Singh and Harish Dhawan
Secretaries
