CPI takes Singawaran encounter issue to President

New Delhi: The Chhattisgarh Police want people to believe that eight among those dead in an encounter at Singawaran are Naxals. But five of those survived in the carnage are telling a different tale of how 19 unarmed tribals were shot dead by the police in cold blood.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) has raised the matter with President Pratibha Patil.

“We hope the President writes to the Government for a high level judicial probe. Even if she does not do anything, we will raise this issue inside the Parliament and also outside,” says National Secretary CPI, D Raja.

And in what is perhaps a vote of no-confidence on the enquiry ordered by Chief Minister Raman Singh, the affected villagers knocked on the doors of the high court.

The wheels of justice have begun to move for the dead in Singawaram with the high court asking the government to show cause even while a magisterial enquiry is still on.

"Even the army is worng sometimes, if there is anything wrong we will look into it," says BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad.

The Singawaram killings have revived memories of other carnages also -

• Matwada, March 18, 2008: Three tribals were killed allegedly by SPOs and police. Commenting on this incident, the NHRC said, “The security forces and SPOs seemed to be prima-facie responsible for extra judicial killings.”
• Cherpal, May 23, 2009: Two tribals including a three-and-a-half-year-old boy were killed in the Salwa Judum Camp allegedly by the CRPF.
• Arlampali, August 11, 2008: Five tribals killed allegedly by SPOs.

The list just goes on. Only the families of the Cherpal killings got a paltry Rs 10,000 as relief. However, for the rest there has been neither compensation nor justice.

Some of those who have been opposing this, like civil rights activist Binayak Sen are now in the jail.

Even the Planning Commission has said that the encouragement of vigilante groups like Salwa Judum delegitimises politics, dehumanises people, degenerates those engaged in their 'security', and above all represents abdication of the state itself.

The state government however holds that Salwa Judum is misunderstood even as it struggles to explain its stand in the various commissions of enquiry.