From Ukhrul To Bhadradri Kothagudem; Resist Rampant Militarization
Assam Rifles of the Indian Armed Forces have recently moved in and captured 9 Naga Villages of Ukhrul district of Manipur, to which the Indian state has not given any explanation. The said intrusion and occupation of the villages, apparently, has been done without the consent of the Naga Village councils and the Tangkhul Indigenous people, to whom the land belongs.
The Indian state has been mocking its own constitution by constantly violating Article 371 (A) of the constitution, through such intrusions, land grab, and the Atrocities of the past and the present and granting them impunity under draconian laws like Armed Forces Special Powers Act. One such recent example of Genocidal Military action is Massacres in Mon and Oting where 14 people, mostly innocent mine workers were massacred by Para SF of the Indian Armed Forces and are still not prosecuted due to the impunity of AFSPA.
The Naga Civil Society and Global Naga Forum have all reported about the situation through statements and media reports that the Armed Forces are:
1. Occupying the public spaces such as schools, playgrounds, community centers etc., And are turning them into military camps.
2. Private properties are taken over and constructions are carried on them to build military camps.
3. A widespread atmosphere of fear among women, children and old due to such presence of armed forces, having past record of Brutal Atrocities against the very people, building check-posts across the area is affecting the peace of the people.
On 15 September 2022, Over 5000 people took to the streets of Ukhrul town to mount pressure on the Central and State governments for immediate withdrawal of the security forces from nine Tangkhul villages where the troops have set up military camps/bases without the consent of the villagers.
Similarly, the people of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have protested against Paramilitary camps, with 12 major sit in protests in Bastar, continuing for months. Recently, the Indian State has moved with the Idea to establish a Joint Command Center in Bhadradri Kothagudem District on Telangana-Chhattisgarh border in the name of Fighting the Maoists. The said command center is to house the District Reserve Guard (DRG) formed by inducting the infamous SPOs of the Salwa Judum, Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) of Chhattisgarh, Greyhounds of Telangana etc.,. The Home Ministry has also sent a contingent of 100 National Security Guards ( Elite Force) comprising of more than 50 percent personnel of the Indian Armed Forces on trial basis to same District and are believed to function from this very joint command center.
The camps, in these Forested Regions of Central India, are being built as Forward Operational Bases under Indian State’s Military Operation SAMADHAN-PRAHAR to suppress all forms of struggle against corporate loot of resources. Similarly the camps are being built Manipur, Kashmir, Nagaland etc., to suppress the struggle of nationalities for right to self determination and to loot their natural resources in the interest of big corporates.
We find a parallel between the camps being built in Forested Central Indian regions and the Camps being built in Ukhrul, Manipur. We see that the camps being established in Schools and Community centers in Ukhrul are similar with those being established in Schools of Giridih District of Jharkhand. The similarity behind the modus operandi of Armed Forces and Paramilitary Forces in occupying land and building Multiple Paramilitary Camps over a given area reflects a similar military tendency behind these activities. We believe that Operation SAMADHAN-PRAHAR is the embodiment of this military tendency and it needs to be resisted countrywide to stop this rampant Militarization.
We, Forum Against Corporatization and Militarization (FACAM), New Delhi, strongly condemn the move of Indian State to militarily occupy Naga Villages as well as the establishment of Joint Command Center in Bhadradri Kothagudem; and Demand the Following:-
1. Withdraw Assam Rifles from the 9 Naga Villages of Ukhrul District, Manipur.
2. Repeal Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
3. Disband the Joint Command Center to be Built in Bhadradri Kothagudem District, Telangana.
4. Stop engaging elite special forces like Para SF and NSG, comprising Military personnel.
5. Stop Operation SAMADHAN-PRAHAR
FORUM AGAINST CORPORATIZATION AND MILITARIZATION (FACAM), NEW DELHI
facam.delhi@gmail.com
