Journalists of Bastar are often exposed to serious security threats by Maoists who want to release a statement or by the police who want to gather information Sometime in the early summer of 2013, while preparing for a motorbike ride in the forests of Bastar, the State administration came up with a request to this correspondent — to mediate with left-wing rebels to recover the … Continue reading Whose journalism is it anyway? – Suvojit Bagchi
In the second of a three-part series, Suvojit Bagchi meets the ‘eyes and ears’ of the Maoist and state militias. During my stay in Dandakaranya’s Maoist-dominated areas that lasted five weeks, I saw hundreds of young boys and girls with staleness in their eyes and an indifferent demeanour. One of them, Suklu, a man in his early 20s, accompanied me to Mettagaon, a village dominated … Continue reading ‘I don’t know how many Naxals I’ve killed’ – Suvojit Bagchi
After walking for eight hours in a forest that possibly had more hillocks and rivulets than trees, without any long pause, by early evening we entered a narrow barren table of land bounded on either side by two separate ridges. At the far end stood a few blue and yellow tents. Somji, one of the men who had met me at the edge of the … Continue reading 34 days with Maoists inside the forest (Part 1)- Suvojit Bagchi
At least 16 Muria Gond tribals have been arrested in the last 48 hours in Bijapur district of south Chhattisgarh for allegedly acting as cultural activists of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist). The arrested alleged activists are aged between 18 and 22 years and were influencing the locals against the administration through song and dance, a release from Bijapur police said. Local court … Continue reading 16 alleged Maoist cultural wing activists arrested – Suvojit Bagchi
Anticipating stronger resistance from left-wing rebels after the formation of a separate state, the elite anti-naxal force Greyhounds, had developed “alternative permanent operational bases” outside Telangana, a senior security official told The Hindu . The operational difficulties faced by the forces to carry out encounters inside Maoist areas led to the development of such bases, he said. They would help States such as Chhattisgarh, Odisha … Continue reading Anticipating Telangana, Greyhounds formed alternative bases – Suvojit Bagchi
While the tribal school teacher Soni Sori is languishing in a Chhattisgarh jail, her husband died of neurological issues on Aug. 02, 2013. A file photo shows a protest in New Delhi for her release. Anil Futane — the husband of tribal schoolteacher Soni Sori, who was arrested on the charge of aiding Maoists — died on Friday of some undiagnosed neurological condition that paralysed … Continue reading Soni Sori’s husband dies – Suvojit Bagchi
“ Tribal schoolteacher Soni Sori and her relative, journalist Lingaram Kodopi, have been denied bail by Chhattisgarh High Court in the Essar Steel case on Monday. Rejecting the bail petition, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra of Chhattisgarh High Court said that “on basis of the seriousness of the evidence,” the bail petition had been rejected. Activists, associated with campaigns to free Ms. Sori, were perhaps expecting … Continue reading Soni Sori, Lingaram Kodopi denied bail by Chhattisgarh High Court – Suvojit Bagchi
While various national women’s organisations decried an attempt to make Soni Sori, the tribal school teacher accused of acting as a courier between Essar Steel and outlawed Maoists, undergo a “psychiatric evaluation” as a “sinister ploy” by the Chhattisgarh government, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has given a clean chit to the State government on the treatment meted out to the tribal school teacher. … Continue reading NHRC gives clean chit to Chhattisgarh Government on Soni Sori – Suvojit Bagchi
Hillele 