CGNet Swara in Chhattisgarh is a mobile radio platform that has helped bring tribal issues to national attention. MAHADEV SINGH, a Baiga tribal person, hails from a village situated atop a forested hill near Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. While most of the neighbouring villages are electrified and welfare schemes from the government reach them to an extent, Mahadev's village has lost out in this regard owing to its inaccessibility. Mahadev and his...

After the brutal murder of Azad, is there any hope for well-meaning routine calls for “dialogue” and “peace talks”? What can the "civil society" do as a serious, real intervention? It is reported that the decades-old talks with Naga insurgent groups has made some progress recently (See “Differences ‘narrowed’,” Times of India, July 19, 2011). One reason why talks have a chance in these cases is that separatism comes in...

-The Hindustan Times   Uttar Pradesh has earned the dubious distinction of witnessing the highest number of fake encounters, with nearly 120 people being allegedly killed by police in such incidents in the past three years. In the first six months of this year, six persons were killed in the state in alleged encounters and their families have approached the National Human Rights Commission for justice. In 2010-11, NHRC received complaints that 40...

Nandkumar Naitam is relieved after a month of “torturous” anxiety. “I thought it over again and again,” the 20-year-old tribal youth says. “I thought that if I couldn’t get a rifle, I’d pick up my traditional weapon, the bow-and-arrow.” It was a desperation that Nandu, as he is fondly called, shared with his 5,000-odd fellow special police officers (SPOs), who till a month ago formed the Chhattisgarh government’s frontline against the Maoists...

Mining firms have criticised the Indian government's decision to make them pay more tax to help develop tribal areas affected by the Maoist uprising. Various trade associations have denounced the bill, under which firms will pay upto 26% extra tax on profits. The new legislation is to be introduced during the new parliamentary session which started on Monday. Maoist rebels say they are fighting for the rights of indigenous tribal people and the...