DIMAPUR, OCT 30 (MExN): Clearly expressing distress over the news report ‘Rights groups expose atrocities of Naga IRB” carried in the October 22 issue of The Morung Express, the Director General of Police (DGP), Chhattisgarh O.P Rathor has in a letter addressed to his Nagaland counterpart stated that the news report was ‘just a small part of a much larger propaganda campaign against the Salwa Judum (peace march) which the DGP described as a “social movement launched by the tribals of Bastar against the Naxalites/Maoists”.
To put an end to what the DGP described as ‘distasteful controversy’, he suggested that the Government of Nagaland consider sending a team of journalists from Nagaland to Bastar where they can visit freely and evaluate the ground realities and clearly differentiate between fact and fiction.
“The Naxalites/Maoists have realized that they cannot match the Naga IRB in guerilla warfare. So they have activated their over ground frontal organizations/sympathizers to start this vicious and false propaganda campaign to demoralize the Naga IRB in particular and the Naga people in general. This is an old tactic that the Naxalites/Maoists have used time and again against the Chhattisgarh police, CRPF, BSF etc in the past”, the DGP stated and pointed out how in the deep forests of Bastar, the Naga IRB officers and jawans have proved themselves as expert guerilla fighters and how they have raided many Naxalite camps in the deep, hitherto inaccessible jungles of Bastar.
Reiterating that there was ‘absolutely’ no basis nor hard facts to these ambiguous allegations, the DGP maintained that ‘rule of law’ is strictly followed in Chhattisgarh and that cries against tribals are never tolerated.
The DGP in the letter to his Nagaland counterpart also gave instances of how in every operation it is the thumb rule that local Special Police Officers (SPOs) who are the equivalent of the Village Guards in Nagaland always accompany the security forces and that these SPOs would never permit such atrocities against their own people. “These SPOs serve not just as guides and translators but also as our watchdog against human rights violations”.
The DGP also maintained that there were ‘absolutely’ no complaints against the Naga IRB. “In fact wherever I have visited in Bastar, the public invariably demand for the deployment of the Naga IRB in their areas. This unit has build up a solid and enviable reputation as a highly disciplined and effective force. The tribals of Bastar trust this force”, the Chhattisgarh DGP stated.
It was stated that the Naga IRB have also launched on their own, several public welfare camps under Operation MAP (Medico-Admn-Police) which is a popular public grievance redressal scheme and that the Naga IRB has contributed large amounts of medicines, clothes, food to the needy in the Salwa Judum relief camps.
Reminding once again that the growing popularity of the Naga IRB cannot be digested by the Naxalites/Maoists, the DGP maintained that the latter have now embarked on this propaganda offensive against the Naga IRB in Nagaland. “This propaganda campaign, interestingly is being launched only in the metros like Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore, Trivandrum etc. where they try to sensationalize and blow up issues out of proportion”, the DGP tried to explain and stated that this campaign is not successful in Chhattisgarh because the local media persons are aware of the ground realities and facts.
“It distressed me greatly that the Naga people were forced to read such baseless and vicious allegations against the gallant officers and men of the 9th IRB NAP”, the DGP stated and even suggested that in future the Nagaland DGP must “consider legal action in such matters since it hurts the feelings of the people of Nagaland”.
