•Society•
The Truth About Dantewada This story is a product of Rishabh Kumar’s first hand encounters with the Gond tribes during his 6 week stay in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh where they have found refuge. He traces the history of conflict in the Dantewada region. His piece is an attempt to look into the issue beyond what is popularly potrayed by the government, media and Maoist spokespersons. All the names have been changed keeping in mind the dignity and safety of the Adivasis.
32 | The Undergrad
T
he Maoist insurgency and the conflict with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is the subject of one of the hottest debates in the nation today. The tribal region of Dantewada in south Chhattisgarh is at the forefront of a political showdown between the state and the Maoist insurgents. But this is not about political ideologies. This is the story of the Gond tribe, people who became pawns in this game of ideological conflict. Gond is a collective term for many tribes that speak the Gondi languages and inhabit a forested region in Southern Chhattisgarh. Before the present day Chhatisgarh split from Madhya Pradesh, the entire of Chhattisgarh was referred to as Bastar, which for generations has been the abode of the peaceful and simplistic Gond people. After the formation of Chhattisgarh, the southern tip was split into three districts – Bastar, Dantewada and Sukma. Sukma was formed in January 2012. However, in terms of Maoist insurgency all districts are collectively referred to as Dantewada. A desolate land in Central India, the heavily forested Dantewada region was never looked at as a potential ground for harnessing natural resources. This was until late 1950s when, what is now known as the state of Chhattisgarh, was developed into an industrial zone. With the setting up of the Bhilai steel plant in 1955, the exploitation in this tribal area began. The dense, inaccessible forest of Dantewada, Bastar are Sukma are amongst the richest places in terms of mineral deposits