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Ground Zero Blogs

Breaking news! Youngest Maoist nabbed!

Check out the murderous rage on his face!

Check out the hand that has bludgeoned many heads!

Check out the strained forehead that explain his years committed to bloodshed!

 
Citizen's Interviews of S.P., Dantewada

Final Two Parts Of The Interview With SP Dantewada, Amresh Mishra on the 4th of Jan regarding the whereabouts of Sodi Sambo.

 
The tribal ‘Ruchikas’ of Dantewada

Operation Green Hunt to flush out the Maoist rebels from central India may have begun only last November, but the hapless tribals of Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region have been at the receiving end of official hostility for years before that.

 
Police State, Visitors, Anthropology

Ujjwal Kumar Singh, Professor of Political Science, Delhi University and I have just returned  (January 1st) from a visit to the police state of Chhattisgarh.

 
Talking with S.P. Dantewada

Priyanka: I am a journalist and I need to speak to you about Sodi Sambo? Where is she now? Why was she illegal detained last night?

 

Interviews

Home People Priyanka Borpujari
Priyanka Borpujari
From Detention Drama to 'Dacoit' Declaration PDF Print E-mail

Sunday, January 10, 2010

From Detention Drama to 'Dacoit' Declaration



In my own “coy” ways, I would terrorise my friends and family. But thanks to the Dantewada police, I have been declared a dacoit. No, this anointment didn't come in easy – it took several hours of mayhem and confusion and conspiracy. And so the story of the practical joke begins....

On January 5, the inmates of the Vanvasi Chetna Ashram (VCA) in Dantewada woke up to find that Himanshu Kumar was missing. We panicked a bit, but realised that what he had done must have been the best. He couldn't afford to languish in jail for having raised his voice for the scores of tribals whom the government plans to eliminate to be able to hand over their land to profit-hungry mining companies. It was essential that the gory David versus Goliath battle for survival continue to be fought, and new ways had to be found. That's how we understood the rationale behind Himanshu's disappearance.
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The Idea of Semantics in Chhattisgarh PDF Print E-mail
Saturday, January 9, 2010

The Idea of Semantics in Chhattisgarh


The Oxford Dictionary defines “police” as “an organised civil force for maintaining order, preventing and detecting crime, and enforcing the laws”.

The Oxford Dictionary defines “breach of trust” as “violation (either through fraud or negligence) by a trustee of a duty that equity requires of him”.

In Chhattisgarh, the whole idea of “semantics” is redefined. Language is not merely something that can be associated with the dictionary here; it has much to do with survival and death.
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Nothing "Official" in Chhattisgarh PDF Print E-mail

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Nothing "Official" in Chhattisgarh



Sambo misses her four children; and has long stopped smiling. The petite woman’s eyes are vacant; she has already seen enough. She has already had enough. © Javed Iqbal


October 1, 2009, 7 am, Gompad:
Security forces and SPOs (special police officers) of the Salwa Judum enter the village of Gompad, which is on the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border. Sodi Sambo is shot on her leg. Witnesses the murder of six other villagers by the security forces and SPOs.
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The Good, The Bad, The Ugly PDF Print E-mail

Saturday, January 2, 2010

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly


The countdown has begun for the ultimate decay of Vanvasi Chetna Ashram. The last straws are now crackling up, and it is only a matter of time when Himanshu Kumar will leave his seat under the huge tree, where he has been fasting since December 26, 2009. A new year has begun and has brought with it the steady flow of stealth from the Chhattisgarh government.

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Homeless, But No White Flag PDF Print E-mail

Friday, January 1, 2010

Homeless, But No White Flag


It is often said that “home is where the heart is”. German poet Christian Morgenstern, inspired by English literature nonsense, further went on to state, “Home is not where you live but where they understand you.” But in Dantewada, which presents a classic example to English literature students about the definition of ‘irony’, the notion of ‘home’ is quite blemished. Two significant ‘non-developments’ on the last day of the year made us realise the frugality of the reality of belongingness and the need to be understood.

Delhi University professors Nandini Sundar and Ujjwal Singh were on their way to meet the four rape victims from Samsetti village on Wednesday, December 30. Around 7.30 pm, their was accosted by cops. They checked the papers of the car and then asked the duo to step out. The cops then told them that they could not proceed any further. When asked why, Sundar was told, “We have received such orders from our seniors. You will have to comply with us. You cannot proceed further, but you will have to leave Dantewada.”
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