BHUBANESWAR: Increasing militarisation of tribal hinterland has led to growing excesses on women who have been caught between the State machinery and those fighting against it. Be it in the southern pockets of Rayagada and Gajapati or western ends in Kalahandi, violence against women is being used as a tool of state repression, activists said here on Saturday.Teams of Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS), drawing activists from various parts of the country, visited areas in Odisha, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh where tribals are in direct conflict with the security forces __ be it over land rights, protest against industries or pockets where Maoists hold sway.Indira Chakraborty, a health researcher, cited the cases in Rayagada and Kalahandi where the WSS team visited at least nine villages, including Renga, Khurika, Balsari and Ambagani. “The State Government has been positioning CRPF and BSF in more numbers. Every time, they do combing operations, the villagers face the fury since most tribals are viewed as Maoists. While men are targeted and run away, it is the women who are at the receiving end,” she said at a meet here.The activist said the team was informed of at least 10 specific cases of rape by the security forces in these pockets but people are afraid of reporting the incidents to police who, sometimes, express helplessness against the paramilitary forces and at times, play along.Rinchin, a member of Madhya Pradesh Mahila Manch, Bhopal, said when the WSS team went to Gajapati, they were held back for routine verification. Police describe these pockets as ‘disturbed areas’ and put curbs. Access to people is even restricted and the ‘real horror’ stories never come out, she said citing the case of Arati Majhi. Arati was allegedly gangraped after being arrested by security forces which branded her as a Maoist. She continues to languish behind the bars."What happened in Dantewada after arrest of Binayak Sen and Himanshu Kumar is being repeated in Orissa,” she said.In the entire scenario, corporate bodies have emerged as super powers with administration, including police, going out of its way to help them achieve their goals. In the villages located close to Vedanta Alumina Refinery in Lanjigarh, Chakraborty said people are branded as thieves and denied wage labour. While local police terrorise them, denial of work has led to a crisis of livelihood, she added.Ranjana Padhi said women involved in the fight against Posco project cannot access health services and denial of basic health services is a form of violence too.Among others, Sharanya of HumAnE and activists from neighbouring states were present.
Comments
0 comment