Dear friends As is discussed earlier, nineteen innocent poor tribals have been gunned down and killed even using sharp weapons in broad day light. Many villagers are witnesses to the naked dance of violence in which the houses of the poor tribals have not obly been looted but those who tried to resist have paid a heavy penalty. Salwa Judum militia led by Special Police Officers have unleased all the tragadies. Villagers know those killers by name but police is bent upon in its theory that they have killed nineteen dreaded naxalites in a fierce encounter. At a time when falsehood is practised at the highest level, it is earnestly requested to all to please spare some of your valuable time to send an appeal for a independent high level probe to ensure that truth is allowed to come out.
Here below, is the copy of the open letter written to the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India with copy to His Excellency, the Governor of Chhattisgarh and also to the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, that has been sent the world over by FIAN INTERNATIONAL, the international organisation working for the rights on food and hunger solutions. The attached file also contains the said letter, that can be sent by incorporating necessary changes at your end. I request request you once agan to support the demand of independent probe in the larger interest of justice when we see that innocent poor tribals are treated, worst than even animals. With best wishs and regards to all Pravin Patel Human Rights Activist. *COPY OF THE APPEAL REPRODUCED HERE BELOW.* To, Dr. Manmohan Singh Hon'ble Prime Minister of India ** Room No. 152, South Block, New Delhi, 110001 Fax – 0091-11-23016857 Heidelberg, February 17, 2009 Your Excellency, FIAN, the international human rights organization for the right to feed oneself, with consultative status at the United Nations, is very concerned about the alarming information received regarding the killing of 19 members of tribal communities at and around Singaram, Dantewada District, Chhattisgarh, on 8 January 2009. While the police has been labelling the inhuman incidents as an encounter with Naxalites, villagers have stated that there was no connection between their fellow citizens and the Naxalites. According to the villagers the gruesome offense was carried out by a collective of at least 200 people, comprising Special Police Officers (SPOs) and the Salwa Judum unit. They forced the villagers to desert the village and come to the relief camps, but when denied, the end result was gruesome killings of 19 tribals and 15 kidnapped. The incident on January 8 was preceded by a long history of intimidations and looting, aimed at the tribals by the Salwa Judum, which left some households behind without sufficient means to feed themselves. The refugee camps do not provide a sufficient basis for a sustainable livelihood as they do not even meet minimum standards. PDS system is completely absent. As a consequence to the looting of their village and the reduction of their labour force, they are in danger not to be able to provide sufficient food for themselves. India is a State Party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Thus it has the obligation to respect, to protect and to fulfil the right to food of all of its citizens. The state, its institutions and its officials must not take part in any action endangering any person's right to food. Those who do so have to be punished to prevent impunity. For all these reasons, I ask you to: [image: *] Supply food and remedy to the villagers where they have been deprived of the means to mend for themselves and work to resettle the evictees in the refugee camps onto their land as soon as possible; [image: *] Protect the lives and livelihoods of the tribal people of the attacked villages. Use your powers to keep the Salwa Judum from re-entering the village and to protect the villagers' foodstuffs; [image: *] Order a transparent high level investigation of the events which does not refrain from scrutinizing the police officers, special officers and Salwa Judum members. Identify and punish those responsible for the shooting of the tribals. Please inform me about all the measures that you intend to take in this regard. Yours sincerely, Flavio Valente FIAN International Secretary General cc. 1. Mr. Ekkadu Srinivasan Lakshmi Narasimhan<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ekkadu_Srinivasan_Lakshmi_Narasimhan> His Excellency, The Governor of Chhattisgarh Civil Lines, Raipur Fax : 0091-771 – 2331104 / Email: [email protected] <governor.cg%40nic.in> 2. Dr Raman Singh Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Fax: 91-771-2221306, 233100
