 "In Naxal areas, the problem arises when you start empathising with just one group: Prakash Singh")
Human rights activist and social researcher Bela Bhatia, who has been working with villagers in Chhattisgarh, recently alleged that she was facing threats and had been branded as a Naxalite. She says she is being hounded for helping some tribal women lodge a police case against security personnel for gang rape and sexual assault. A fact-finding team of Editors Guild of India, which recently visited the Naxal-hit Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, also concluded that 'there is a sense of fear among journalists there'. Prakash Singh, former chief of the Border Security Force and the author of the book, The Naxalite Movement in India, speaks to Veenu Sandhu about the challenges of working in Naxal-affected areas. Edited excerpts:
Social workers and journalists based in Naxal-affected areas have time and again spoken out about the pressures they face, both from the authorities and the Naxals. What is the situation on the ground?
It's a very precarious situation where everyone is having a tough time, whether it is the villagers, the security forces, social workers or journalists. If the villagers give shelter to the Naxals, then the police suspect them. If they fraternise with the police, then the Naxals start suspecting them.
Security forces, if they strictly follow all the dos and don'ts, then it becomes very difficult for them to operate. The rules that, say, are applicable in Delhi might not be applicable in Chhattisgarh. In practise, deviations do take place. Everyone acknowledges this, only that they clothe their actions in beautiful phrases. And one of the beautiful phrases coined by the Americans is "collateral damage". It's another expression of saying that we can kill innocents and get away with it. Deviations from the norms do take place in the course of operations by the security forces, but the point to remember is: are those deviations mala fide or bona fide? If the intention is to harass a tribal or molest a woman or loot, then it is mala fide.
Social workers and journalists based in these areas are also having a tough time because they have to balance themselves between the Naxals and the security forces and the needs of the villagers. They have to empathise with the villagers. At the same time, they cannot create problems or obstacles for the security forces.
It is a precarious situation that nobody likes and yet they have to stay there and survive in it, steering their way through it.
When does the situation flare up?
In this kind of a situation, if you are able to take a balanced view then there is not much problem. The problem arises when you get swept off your feet or start empathising with just one group and become very critical of the other group.
You have to strike a balance between the hardships of the villagers and what they suffer at the hands of the administration. Their suffering is a reality. In my book too, there is a lurking sympathy for the tribals. At the same time, I am conscious of the fact that the state's authority and the country's integrity have to be maintained. You cannot talk about dismembering India.
Maybe the answer lies in bringing the state on the right track. Maybe journalists are exposing things that need to be exposed but they also need to understand the constraints under which the security forces work.
I know it is not easy to strike a balance. But if you are going to take a one-sided view and say the tribal people are always in the right and the security forces are always in the wrong, then you are bound to run into conflict with the state.
Do security forces and the administration monitor the activities of people working in these areas?
The local administration and security forces should not bother about what you are doing. However, it is a good idea that once you enter this sensitive area, you inform them why you are here. I don't say that you compromise your integrity, but keep them informed about your presence and your mandate. And do the same with the Naxals and the tribal people. Keep people in the loop. It all depends on how you conduct yourself.
Are we living in a time when intolerance towards people who are perceived to be even remotely Leftist has increased?
It's the swing of the pendulum. Earlier, there was too much of pro-Left on the part of writers and thinkers. The pendulum has crossed to the other side now. But gradually, it will find its balance. That's a law of nature. This country too will find its equilibrium.
