INDIA: Fact finding Report on Chintnalr Fact Finding Report of the Chintalnar Massacre, 11-16 March 2011, Chhattisgarh

80 years old Madivi Bheema beaten by Salwa Judum

Burnt House

Villagers living in fear and withuot Shelter

Woman raped by Salwa Judum (Koya commandos)

Woman raped by Salwa Judum (Koya commandos)

A 13 member fact finding team of Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations visited the Chintalnar Area of Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh to probe into the incidents of atrocities perpetrated by the Salwa Judum and the state forces on the adivasis living in this area between 11th and 16th of March 2011.

The incidents was propagated by the police as an ‘encounter’ between the CRPF and Maoists in which, according to the police, 36 Maoists were killed. Also 3 SPOs were killed and 9 others were injured. The police had celebrated this incident in the media to prove their dominance over the Maoists in this region. Media persons and fact finding teams were restricted from going inside on the pretext that it is ‘war zone’ and the so-called war between the state and the Maoists are still going on, hence it is risky for any outsider to go inside. Most recently, the state home minister, Nankiran Kumar gave a written statement in the assembly stating that the Maoists had led the attack on villagers and burnt and looted homes in a bid to divert attention of the police who were in the area for ‘area domination exercises’.

Against this backdrop of serious crimes committed by the security forces and salwa judum and the cover up by the police and politicians, a fact finding team comprising various civil and democratic rights activists and other individuals, went inside this area on the 26th and 27th of March 2011 and visited Morupally, Timmapuram and Tadmetla villages. As members of the team, we spoke extensively to the villagers and the victims of the incident. We were shocked to find that once again, the police version propagated by the state is completely hoax and far from reality.   Source: Sanhati