A group of democratic and progressive organisaions and individuals in Bangladesh on Sunday expressed concerns over the Indian government鈥檚 military campaign 鈥極peration Kagar鈥� targeting India鈥檚 indigenous people and Maoists and demanded an immediate cessation of the operation.聽聽
鈥榃e are deeply concerned about the ongoing brutal military suppression campaign called 鈥淥peration Kagar鈥�, launched by the Indian government against the indigenous and oppressed people of India鈥檚 mineral-rich central regions,鈥� said a statement issued by 174 revolutionary, democratic and progressive organisations and individuals.
Their demands also included an independent investigation into killings, disappearances, and human rights violations by security forces, a halt to corporate land grabs and mining projects by multinational corporations, release of all human rights activists, journalists, and indigenous leaders and recognition of indigenous peoples鈥� right to self-governance, land rights, and protection from forced eviction.
This campaign, disguised as an anti-Maoist operation, was primarily aimed at suppressing marginalised communities, evicting indigenous people from their lands, and protecting the interests of multinational corporations, it mentioned.
Signatories to the statement included retired economics professor of Jahangirnagar University Anu Muhammad, Martyr Revolutionary and Patriotic Memorial Society president Kobi Hasan Fokri, New Democratic People鈥檚 Forum president Jafar Hossain, National Democratic Front president Masud Khan, writer and teacher Fahmidul Haq, National Liberation Council general secretary Faizul Hakim, little magazine Postcard editor Tanmoy Sanyal, former Dhaka University professor Nehal Karim, Bangladesh Supreme Court lawyer Jyotirmoy Barua, Rajshahi University teacher Souvik Reza, researcher Maha Mirza and physician Golam Rabbani. The oganisations are New Democratic People鈥檚 Forum, Bangladesh, National Democratic Front,聽Revolutionary Student-Youth Movement, Bangladesh, and Democratic Student Union.
Calling upon revolutionary, democratic and progressive organisations, individuals, and human rights organisations across South Asia and the world to stand in solidarity with India鈥檚 indigenous and oppressed people, they said, 鈥榃e, the revolutionary, democratic, and progressive organisations and voices of Bangladesh, view 鈥淥peration Kagar鈥� as a war against the people and strongly condemn and protest it.鈥櫬�
鈥業n reality, it is a form of state-sponsored terrorism. The Indian government has deployed thousands of paramilitary forces, particularly the Border Security Force and the Central Reserve Police Force, in the Abujhmarh region of Chhattisgarh, home to many indigenous communities and rich in natural resources,鈥� the statement mentioned. 聽
These communities, already victims of state repression, are now facing an even more severe military crackdown, according to the statement.
Referring to various sources, it mentioned that indiscriminate firing in Todka Korchil village of Bijapur district injured 24 villagers and killed 8 on February 1, four villagers were killed in Singanapalli on January 16, and 31 people were killed on February 9.
The Chhattisgarh government has decided to evacuate 72 villages in the national park area under the 鈥楾agar Project鈥�, leading to the infamous Jagananu massacre.聽聽聽
The primary victims of this campaign are not armed rebels but ordinary indigenous men, women, and children struggling to defend their lands and existence, the statement claimed.
