On February 27, Raghu Midiyami, an Adivasi leader from Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). He was the President of the democratic mass organization Moolwasi Bachao Manch (MBM), which was banned on October 30, 2024, by the state, labeling it as “anti-development” and accusing it of provoking people against developmental projects. MBM has led multiple movements opposing the exploitation of natural resources. In 2021, paramilitary forces opened fire on peaceful demonstrators led by the organization, killing three people, including a 14-year old boy.
In less than three months, over 100 people have been killed this year alone in Bastar. Why? For the natural resources that are abundant in the region. The state-corporate nexus systematically seeks to eliminate any voice of resistance. We witnessed how Mukesh Chandrakar, a journalist who exposed a road construction scam, was murdered in December. Voices speaking out against these atrocities are frequently labeled as “Maoists”, imprisoned under draconian laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), or even killed. Figures such as Sunita Pottam, Sudha Bhardwaj, Stan Swamy, GN Saibaba, and now Raghu Midiyami have all faced the same fate.
These activists have been vocal in their opposition to the construction of paramilitary camps without the consent of the Gram Sabha, as mandated by the PESA (Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act). They have resisted the exploitation of natural resources, the displacement of Adivasis, and the continued violence inflicted on the Adivasis.
Last year, Home Minister Amit Shah announced that Naxalism would be eradicated from the country by March 31, 2026. Operation Kagar, previously called Samadhan Prahar, a renewed form of Operation Green Hunt, was initiated to achieve this objective. In 2024 alone, more than 300 people were killed, including unarmed Maoists and civilians, including children, women, and a disabled girl.
The killings of Adivasis, the imprisonment of activists under draconian laws, and the widespread sexual violence against women are all justified under the pretext of combating ‘Maoism’. However, as Soni Sori aptly stated in an interview with Frontline magazine, ‘This is an annihilation of Adivasis, not Maoists.’
The state’s objective is clear: unbridled corporate plunder of the region’s rich natural resources. For these resources, killings, arrests, displacements, and rapes are being carried out to instill fear and suppress resistance, to engineer speedy eviction of the people. This will neither benefit the people nor the country—it will serve only the interests of big capitalists.
We demand the immediate release of activists like Raghu Midiyami and Sunita Pottam.
Resist the exploitation of jal jangal jameen! Resist Corporatization and Militarization!
Stop the war on people! Stop Operation Kagar!
Repeal UAPA! Abolish the NIA!
