West Bengal, India: Tribal group calls a 24-hour shutdown to protest atrocities

2010-12-18

Kolkata, Dec 18 (IANS) Pro-Maoist tribal group, Peoples’ Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) Saturday called for a 24-hour shutdown Monday in West Bengal’s three rebel-dominated districts to protest ‘atrocities’ of the joint security forces. ‘The shutdown on Monday has been called in Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts as the common tribal people living in the areas were facing torture and harassment from the joint forces and armed cadres of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M),’ a PCAPA spokesman told IANS on phone from Lalgarh area of West Midnapore. ‘Police are also picking up our supporters and local people on false charges of being Maoists and carrying out inhuman torture on them. Earlier, the joint forces picked up and detained Muhammad Israieel. He was released just three days ago, but he cannot even stand as police had beaten him severely on his feet and legs,’ said the PCAPA spokesman, who wished to be anonymous. He added that two other people were also picked up by the police and beaten ‘mercilessly’. ‘We demand that the government and administration should stop atrocities on our people and urge people to support the shutdown,’ the spokesperson said. –Indo-Asian-News Service

 

“Pro-Maoist” Organization Builds a Dam in Eastern India

[This is a translated, partial transcript of a Bengali video recently released.  The PCAPA, while under attack by the State military and para-military forces, is nonetheless continuing to serve the people and enable them to organize to meet their basic needs.  The media which released this information referred to the PCAPA as “pro-Maoist” though they have never, to our knowledge, described themselves in those terms.  Maoists have, it seems, worked with them, but the PCAPA represents a broad range of forces and views among adivasi people.-ed.]

PCAPA women doing development work in Lalgarh

A Pro-Maoist organisation Peoples Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) builds a dam to protect the village from being flooded

1. LOCAL VILLAGERS DIGGING

2. WOMEN CARRYING BASKETS OF MUD ON THEIR HEAD

3. LOCAL VILLAGERS AT THE SITE

4. MEN DIGGING THE GROUND

5. A BANNER WRITTEN IN BENGALI

6. A BANNER ON THE SITE WITH RAW MATERIALS IN SACKS

7. A MAN WATERING THE SOIL

8. MEN CARRYING RAW MATERIALS FOR CONSTRUCTION

9. (SOUNDBITE) (Bengali) MANGAL MAHATO, PCAPA MEMBER, SAYING: “By this dam, almost thousand of families and the land would be protected and therefore we have started and undertaken this work ourselves.”

Q. Is the government helping you or any other private body helping you?