Salwa Judum: The campaign that grew out of control

NEW DELHI: Monday morning’s strike was the fifth major attack ever since the state government started using the civil militia, Salwa Judum, to tackle the Maoist rebels. Far from containing the conflict in both the adjacent districts of Dantewara and Bastar, the creation of Salwa Judum has in reality just allowed the battle to spiral out of control.

Killings have increased on both sides. Maoist rebels have been relentless in their attacks on citizens alleged to be supporters of Salwa Judum. On the other hand, tribals alleged to be sympathetic to the Maoists were having their throats cut. As a fact-finding team comprising academics and intellectuals to the region recently found out in early May, “the cycle of revenge and retribution, early anticipations of what might - if not tamed and checked - has become a full-fledged civil war.” The report found that in most sub-districts, the state had ceded control to the Salwa Judum.