At the time of the Telangana Struggle, the army sent by Nehru emptied whole villages of the area and forced them to stay in army camps in a bid to break their involvement in the struggle and also cut off contact between them and the Communist Party. Similarly, during Naxalbari struggle and the struggles in various parts of India, whole villages were turned into army and police camps. Ruthless repression of the people by the armed forces has continually been a part of repression against revolutionary forces and their movements in India.

In Chhattisgarh, the Congress led Central Govt. and  the BJP State Govt. have since 2005 begun a ruthless, barbaric and fascist campaign against the tribals of Dantewada District formerly part of Bastar region. These tribals, in their eyes, are twice guilty. Firstly there is a long history of struggles against loot of their land and forests, and secondly, they are accused of being supporters of CPI (Maoist). In a bid advertised as ‘spontaneous’ but actually fully orchestrated to terrorize these tribals, the Congress has sponsored a ‘Salwa Judum’ or purification ‘movement’. Launched in June 2005 by the tribal leader of the Congress Legislature Party and MLA of the region, Mahendra Karma, it is achieving several purposes. Basically youth of tribals villages are being given firearms by the state, some half baked training and then being designated as ‘special police officers’ or SPOs. Their village people are being brought into police camps close to the road, in the name of ‘seeking protection’ from Maoists who might attack them as their children are involved with Salwa Judum. These so called SPOs accompany either CRPF officers or the Naga Battalion posted here by the Centre to villages suspected of being bases of the Maoists. There these forces unleash havoc on the people burning, looting, killing and also attacking the cattle of the Adivasis. They usually burn the villages to the ground, and the uprooted tribals are forced to move into the police camps, while individuals suspected of being close to Maoists are arrested.According to the state govt. the tribals are joining Salwa Judum "spontaneously" in order to be rid of the Maoists.

The entire process is totally arbitrary and all villages are forced to comply with Salwa Judum to save themselves from being labelled and then targeted as Maoist villages. And under cover of clearing out Maoist bases, a great emptying of the Bastar forests is on. The tribals in the deep, innermost jungles are being forced to move into the camps set up by roadsides by the police. Thus it will be simple for the Central and state Govts. to sell off the land and forests to corporates without fearing a fightback from the tribals. Already the simple tribals from compliant villages are being given land along the road to build houses and permanently settle themselves.

The area was visited by a team of Citizens Initiative (including several civil rights organizations.) Their report corroborates several issues being raised even earlier. The so-called SPOs act as human shields for security forces. In addition the state is able to pit sections of tribals against each other for mutual extermination. Just a handful of officers are required to accompany these forces. Lastly of course the villages supporting the Maoists will also be wiped out.

As the Team's report also records, the 3200 SPOs and al most 46,000 villagers are residing in the police camps. This Team as well as journalists earlier recorded that people in the camp were morose and did not answer questions but women complained of being unable to till the land of forefathers. They were initially given rations at the camp, but eventually are virtually left to fend for themselves. The SPOs are given a honorarium of Rs. 1500/- per month by the Central Govt.

The Team has also recorded the State Govt's sponsorship of the entire move. Collectors and police officers take the public meetings called by the Salwa Judum. These goonda gangs have the run of the area, stopping vehicles, extracting funds. The attacks and killings they indulge in are not taken cognizance of by the police. The Citizens Initiative team has recorded that the leaders of the Salwa Judum are headmen and sarpanchs along with their clan peoples and non-tribal immigrants. Transporters, traders and contractors of towns also abet them.

Due to the methods used by the Maoists, two problems are emerging. One of course is the nonresistance of the tribals to the obviously state sponsored Salwa Judum, even in those villages known to fall in Maoist areas. Obviously these tribals look only to the squads for succour. Thus the method of retaliation by the Maoists is of attacks on the camp inmates or tribals in villages supporting the Salwa Judum. These have resulted in deaths of tribals for which the Maoists have later apologized. The Citizens Initiative team has recorded that some ordinary people who attended Salwa Judum meetings out of a "desire to avoid having their villages attacked by Salwa Judum have also come into camps either out of fear of Maoists or specifically after being threatened by them." It further records “In an area where medical and health facilities are already lacking, schools and hospitals are either rendered dysfunctional by their use as bases by the security forces or are consequently destroyed by the Maoists. In the prevailing war like situation the Maoists have used coercion and fear for purpose of intimidation and shown a general intolerance of dissent. More disturbingly, the escalation in violence has resulted in a number of killings by the Maoists when the victim is in their custody and hence isolated and unarmed." These sort of warnings which may be to send a message to Salwa Judum supporters, unfortunately seem to be driving the tribals into the arms of the predatory state and the miserable existence in the camps in the name of protection.

Tens of thousands (46,000 is figure given by the team) of the tribals of this district are now living in the roadside camps and probably will never be allowed to return home. Thus much more than simple emptying out of villages – rather an attack on the entire tribal culture, way of life and identity is on.

The Salwa Judum is a result of close cooperation against the tribals and the revolutionary movement and also in favour of corporate interest between the Congress and BJP. The Cong. MLA Mahendra Karma is involved in several scams specially relating to illegal sale of timber. The Naga Indian Reserve Battalion has been posted in the area by the Centre and is responsible for large scale repression.

In addition to the Salwa Judum a movement to form VDCs (Village Defence Committees) is being sponsored by the state, and the method of formation clearly shows it is rooted in counter-insurgency operations. Democratic organizations must pressurize the Central and State Govt. to immediately allow all tribals to return home, force disbanding of Salwa Judum and registering of cases against its leaders for killings, and lootings and burnings of villages.