Police fire indiscriminately on Gond tribals of Adilabad in Andhra, 60 reported killed

Krishna Rao (above) and Isrubai chained to the hospital bed: Harshly treated by the policeThe police in Andhra Pradesh have a reputation for being quick on the draw when tackling Naxalites. It needs only the flimsiest of reasons to provoke them. Now, with Naxalite activities on the increase they have come out again with all guns blazing. The official death toll in the latest firing is 13, though unofficial sources put it closer to 60. The dead are all Gond tribals of Adilabad, the state's most backward district.It was market day in the roadside village of Indravelli in the Gond tribal heartland of Adilabad. But this was a market day with a difference. The tribals were to stay on for a rally and the district conference of the Girijana Rythu Coolie Sangham, a front organisation for the Peoples War Group led by old-time Naxalite Kondapalli Seetharamaiah.The tribals began coming in small groups early in the day only to find the police turning them back. Those who hesitated or asked questions were beaten up and chased away. And some non-tribal Naxalite sympathisers who had come from far away to attend the conference were whisked away and detained at the zilla parishad school in Indravelli.As the day wore on more people arrived and many were turned back. But even late in the day many more were still coming. They gathered in a field outside Indravelli with their tudums (drums) and kalicoms (pipes) and marched in procession for the conference. But almost immediately the police led by the District Superintendent M.V. Krishna Rao stopped them, "to find out their intentions."Police version: The police claim that the tribals turned violent at this point and the police opened fire. Recalls Krishna Rao: "As we went forward they rained stones and came menacingly towards us." He displays a dented helmet and says: "I could have been killed. There were only about 20 constables with me. Some had rifles and some helmets. The attack continued and then we fired teargas shells. They did not stop or disperse. One of the tribals covered a shell with mud to prevent the gas from spreading as soon as it fell. For any man in uniform it is not a matter of pride to run back. We had to retreat and then open fire. I emptied my revolver. Even as some dropped dead others kept coming as if those in front had only slipped and fallen. The tribals obviously did not know the power of a .303 rifle. They came like a whirlwind."The police keep using the word 'toofan' (whirlwind) to describe the crowd, almost as if this adds weight to their claim that the crowd was irresistible. On April 22, two days after the incident, the police assembled before Home Minister K. Prabhakar Reddy at Indravelli and told him the same story. One of them also categorically declared that Naxalites were running arms training camps for the Gonds and other tribals.Superintendent Krishna Rao says the tribals were also carrying axes and spears. He claimed that the police had seized some from the tribals but he was unwilling to display them to newsmen. The tribals themselves admit to carrying sticks and sickles as they always do but they deny that they were carrying spears or axes.Widowed Gond women: Facing a bleak futureOdd Features: There are, however, several odd features about the police action. Oddest of all is the police claim that though they apprehended trouble they were not present in strength. Also, it is unusual for the district superintendent of police to camp in a village overnight.And the sudden announcement of the ban on gatherings of more than five people is also rather strange as the Girijana Rythu Coolie Sangham had sought permission and publicised the conference several days in advance. And though the ban was within Rao's powers it was announced only the day before the conference, not allowing enough time for it to percolate through to the distant corners of the district.As Rao himself admits, "To reach some taluks of the district the messages have to be transmitted in an arc via Hyderabad about 300 km south." Rao also does not divulge the number of rounds fired, saying instead: "Ask the tribals how many kilos of chilli powder and stones they were carrying."After the incident also the police showed little interest in the people who had been injured. Several were picked up only two days afterwards. And the post-mortems were done in a hurry the next day at the Adilabad General Hospital. Though a post-mortem usually takes about two hours, 13 postmortems were done in less than a day.Besides this, other questions remain unanswered: Were the bodies cremated so that they could not be exhumed as they might have been had they been buried? And why have the police shown so little interest in tracing the relatives of the dead? Strangely, a week after the shooting, officials had only managed to identify four of the 13 officially declared dead, of whom three had been named by newsmen after visiting Pittabongaram village 12 km away from Indravelli.As if that were not enough even those who have been hospitalised have been treated harshly. Isrubai, who is said to have attacked the one policeman who died in the incident, lies shackled to her bed in the women's general ward. Just to be doubly sure that she does not escape, the ward doors are also locked.Neither precaution is really necessary. With both her legs heavily bandaged Isrubai is unlikely to go anywhere. Krishna Rao is evasive about Isrubai's involvement in killing the policeman but says, "Like with all communist organisations the women were made to come in front."Home Minister Prabhakar Reddy had the audacity to allege in the assembly that the handcuffing was the work of the hospital authorities.The police version is flatly disputed by eye witnesses. The tribals say they were taken unawares when the police suddenly shot at them. Some claimed that the police were strategically positioned, waiting for them. A non-tribal shopkeeper said he saw 26 bodies being dragged away. There is not one word to suggest that the tribals came spoiling for a fight.Naxalite Influence: Every indication is that the police were determined to use muscle power with the tribals because of their sympathy for the Naxalites. The Naxalites are said to have increased their influence among the Gonds and several other tribes like the Kollams, Thotis and the Pradhans though not as much as the police make out. Kondapalli Seetharamaiah's People's War Group has also been active in the district.The tribals say the men from the 'party' - meaning Naxalites - visit them. And many of the tribals hold one man Porakala Dora, in awe. Krishna Rao describes him as a kind of Robin Hood who goes about doing all kinds of good deeds. But he doubts whether Porakala Dora is involved with any of the Naxalite groups.For the Naxalites the tribal areas are fertile ground. With the improvement of roads and facilities many non-tribals have migrated to the district. The immigrants have cleared the forests and in the process driven away the Gonds and other tribals deeper into the forests.There the tribals, who are largely dependent on forest produce, are exploited by forest department officials. And the legislative measures passed to protect tribal areas and tribal lands have largely proved ineffective and large areas have come into the possession of non-tribals.The role of other government agencies in reaching out to the tribals is no better. The Girijan Cooperative Corporation is supposed to ensure a stable and fair price for forest produce bought from tribals. In practice it is worse than even private traders.While the failure of the attempts to identify with the tribe is evident, the Adilabad district collector S.R. Srinivasan says, "Communication, education and irrigation are the needs of the district. These will automatically provide more opportunities for the tribals." As a step to keep a closer contact with the tribes 30 village development officers are being appointed from among the Gonds to act as a link between the tribals and the Government machinery.And before driving out to Indravelli and adjoining areas on May 2 Chief Minister Anjiah announced the creation of a council to advise government on the kinds of schemes for the socio-economic development of the Gonds. Whether the Government is really serious or not is another matter.The Government claims it is setting aside Rs 1 crore for the Gonds. However, official sources told India Today that there is no separate allocation, but the amount is the total of funds being spent routinely by various departments for tribal development.Much has been spent on the development of the district. What has always been found wanting is a band of officials or politicians committed to developing the remote, backward district. Usually officials are posted to the district as a punishment. But lacking a strong lobby the tribal will always face problems. Sympathetic officials are few in number. Meanwhile they are being cruelly educated in the ways of the world.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Feb 24, 2014 14:33 IST--- ENDS ---

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Police fire indiscriminately on Gond tribals of Adilabad in Andhra, 60 reported killed

The police in Andhra Pradesh have a reputation for being quick on the draw when tackling Naxalites. It needs only the flimsiest of reasons to provoke them. Now, with Naxalite activities on the increase they have come out again with all guns blazing.

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