A 6-month-old infant was murdered by the security forces on 1st January, 2024 in Mutvendi Village of Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh. While the Bastar IG P. Sunderraj has claimed that the death occurred as a result of crossfire in an encounter between the Maoists and the security forces, the father of the infant has alleged that there was no encounter with the Maoists at the time of the incident.
The government, supported by imperialists, is using armed forces to control and exploit the mineral-rich regions of Bastar, and using violence against resisting Adivasis.
The government is using armed forces and violence to capture the jal-jangal- jameen of the Adivasis who are dependent on the forests for their lives and livelihoods, to set up capitalist Special Economic Zones. The rampant militarization through multiple paramilitary camps and police camps has resulted in increased surveillance and violence, further giving rise to fake encounters, sexual assaults, theft, and arrest of Adivasis on the pretext of being Naxalites. At the same time, policemen and security forces remain unpunished. Residents of Bastar are not only forced to face the violence of displacement but also state violence in response to their protests. People across the country must unite to struggle against the ruling classes’ exploitative actions and foreign influences.
