OtherIndia.org

Kopa Kunjam is an adivasi youth leader working with Vanvasi Chetana Ashram (VCA) for justice, peace and democratic rights in the tribal villages of Dantwada and Bijapur in the Dandakaranya forest area of Chahttisgarh. 

In recent years, he has been helping people defend their rights against abuses by state, police, Special Police Officers and Salwa Judum. In particular he has been working to implement the 2008 Supreme Court order calling for full compensation and rehabilitation of displaced adivasis from their homes and lands.  With his guidance and the support of VCA and other organizations, several hundred displaced families were able to return to their villages in 2008 and 2009, cultivate their lands and begin to access rations, job cards and other basic services.  As more families returned home, the atmosphere became conducive to normal life and democratic engagement.

To crush all such hopes came Operation Green Hunt, bringing 75,000 troops in the name of counter-insurgency.  Tribals faced arson, rape, brutal beating and murder with no legal recourse.  VCA, an organization that has been providing legal support and filing complaints on behalf of the adivasis had already seen its ashram demolished in May and now saw its key activist Kopa Kunjam framed on completely false and outrageous charges of murdering Punem Honga - when in fact he and Himanshu Kumar tried to save the lives of Punem Hunga and Jhadi Nagesh when they were attacked in June.

One of the reasons Kopa was targeted is that he exposed state complicity in Matwada massacre case, Singaram massacre, and exposed many lacunae and frauds in the implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act(NREGA), Integrated Child Development Services(ICDS), and Public Distribution System(PDS).

Himanshu Kumar, director of Vanavasi Chetana Ashram living and working with the tribal communities since 1982, says Kopa Kunjam  is "like a brother and son to adivasi women. If people in a village didn't get compensated for their labour, they would come complain to Kopa and he would fight with the authorities and lift the spirits of the workers by getting them their due wages. Thanks to Kopa's efforts, corrupt employees in ration shops, anganwadis and those involved in siphoning away money meant for midday meals became fearful."

Kopa Kunjam has committed no crime.  He is a dedicated, tireless worker with faith in our country and constitution to deliver justice.  He is now in jail under false charges.  Thousands of India's most oppressed and marginalized citizens depend on him.  The state depends on the rest of us to forget about him and the adivasis whose rights he defends. 

We must raise our voices NOW:  FREE KOPA KUNJAM.