Crime Today News
A group of activists and academics on Friday urged the government and the Maoists to accept a ceasefire with immediate effect.
“There should be no more hostilities from either side whether in the form of operations, extra-judicial killings and encounters, IED [improvised explosive device] blasts and killing of civilians or any sort of violence,” the activists said in an open letter.
The activists said that they welcome the offer for peace talks made by the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and the Chhattisgarh government’s response keeping the door for talks open.
The Communist Party of India (Maoist) had reportedly said on Wednesday that it was willing to hold peace talks with the government on the condition that the security operations in the region stopped. In response, the Chhattisgarh government said that it was ready for unconditional talks.
The Union government has repeatedly vowed to end Maoism in the country by March 31, 2026.
More than 130 suspected Maoists have been killed in gunfights with security personnel this year. In 2024, 217 suspected Maoists were killed by security forces.
Malini Subramaniam has reported for Scroll that while many of those killed in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh in 2024 were declared by the police to be reward-carrying Maoists, several families dispute the claim. The families claim that the persons killed were civilians.
Several others have surrendered before security forces in Chhattisgarh in recent weeks.
In the last 25 years, 10,884 persons have surrendered and more than 16,700 were arrested, the group said on Friday citing government estimates.
The government “needs to demonstrate its intent by stopping the war on the ground immediately,” the signatories of the letter said, adding that both sides must keep the interests of the Adivasis and other villagers in mind.
They must engage in peace talks keeping in mind the democratic and human rights of citizens within the broader framework of the Constitution of India, the activists said.
The group of activists, academics and lawyers said that the government must not view the situation as if it is a “war” with an external adversary. Instead, it must be viewed as an internal conflict involving Indian citizens that “requires to be brought to an amicable settlement” at the earliest.
If the number of districts “severely affected” by the conflict has come down to six, the Maoists are “hardly such a security threat as to warrant the kind of offensive that we are seeing in terms of militarisation”, the activists said.
The Maoists should cease hostilities against state forces and the use of improvised explosive devices that endanger villagers, including children, and cattle, the activists said. “They should put an end to the ‘death sentences’ handed out in jan adalats,” the letter added.
The activists also called on both sides to provide independent civil organisations and media free access to the affected areas.
They added that peace talks and a ceasefire would only be the first step towards the restoration of democratic rights in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district.
This step should be followed by a sustained process towards “permanent demilitarisation of the area (including dismantling of all security camps)”, release of prisoners, reparation for human rights violations and moratorium on new mines, the activists said.
Protective laws such as the 1996 Provisions of the Panchayats Extension to the Scheduled Areas Act and the 2006 Forest Rights Act should also be implemented, they added.
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