The people's war in our backyard!

Every other day, TV news channels are airing news on the bombing of railway tracks, school building and kidnapping of officers by the Naxals. And more often than not these incidents happen from about an hours drive from where I live. And then it strikes me how close we are at what is happening. And you begin to realise that I am in some ways at the epicentre of India’s gravest internal security issue. I am trying to say it in the words of our Prime Minister. But the bombings and the killings do not get me to panic as much as persecution of Christians does. You might call that insensitive. But it is because of having lived here for 10 years and walked with the people in the remote villages.

I have always wanted to give vent to this burning issue and I have always refrained from it. It is a very sensitive issue. It is about us. It is about the poor of India. This war is going in a direction where the security forces are fighting the Naxals. Both are enemies. The home minister has clearly said that he will crush this movement. But there have been many voices from many groups who have said that force should not be the only option. But sometimes this compromise of developing and delivering to the needs of the tribal is seen as foolishness. The other day I heard a renowned lawyer, (he is stinking rich), say that “just find and eradicate these Naxals.” But there are only few who are singing to this tune. Unfortunately most of them who speak this line do not understand the tribal life in the red corridor of India. The disparity between the people in the towns and villages is really great. At one end it is the likes of IPL where teams go for 300 million and the other where a tribal family goes to sleep on the floor after a night’s meal of rice and salt. And most avoid viewing the situation from the other end, where poverty is. This does not justify violence, but gives us an understanding of what approaches will end this war.

Whenever I reflect on the people’s war my heart hurts. It hurts for both the sides, because this is a war that should have never happened. Both the sides are not going to get to their objective. This war will never be won. The Naxals will never get to rule the villages. The security forces will never end this war. At the most they will crush the people. But the harder they crush, the deeper will be the roots for resurgence. Here the people are the movement. The tribal and the marginalised society should have never gotten into this war. Rebellion is in their make up, but not war against society. The Indian war for independence saw the tribal Santals at the forefront, when it has been said that 20,000 Santals were martyred, but they died with a joy on their face. They have always been on the right side. They fought evil when it tried to suppress them. This people’s war is not where they should be. But many are!

I am jump from side to side, sympathising with both the groups. There are only causalities and no victors. At the end of the road nobody would have won. But it will leave behind deep hurts and many broken families and homes. It will take many generations to wipe out this mess from memory. It pains my heart.

I would call this people’s war, the war of the common man. Sadly it is you and me. In Jharkhand state it is. Some young people get forcefully carried into the war, some are enticed and some are tricked. At the end of the day 1 out of 10 really understand what this war is about. Frustration at government policies and the inefficient officers drives some of these people. Be it for any reason, the people of this land are being killed and are killing. And the casualties are many. Many good people who have nothing to do with this war are caught in the cross fire. At the end of the day, they are our people, both the Naxals and the Security forces. Both are brothers and in the wrong camps.

This People’s war will impact the lives of every single India. It is so large that both the prime minister and the home minister have commented on this. This is India’s greatest internal security issue.

The Church has a significant role to play in this situation. 85% of those fighting in the front lines of the people’s war in the state of Jharkhand are Scheduled tribes. 55% of tribal in Jharkhand state are displaced and their lands have been given to multinational companies. 90% of these people are unreached tribes. We have to pray. We have to influence. We have to preach the good news. The church has to wake up to this need at hand. Reach out to this need,

Daniel Ponraj