By IANS,
Raipur : Chhattisgarh’s controversial counter-insurgency civil militia campaign, Salwa Judum, has found a mention in school textbooks with the state government bringing out a separate chapter about it in the Class 10 social science book.
The 352-page book has a two-page chapter “Necessity of Social Security From Problem of Naxalism”, which widely hails the Salwa Judum as a solution to the decades-old Maoist violence in the state.
The chapter mentions that tribal people of forested and mineral rich state’s southern restive Bastar region have “accepted the challenge of Naxalism and have come forward to launch the movement”.
“Tribals have been witnessing awareness and they are not providing shelter to Naxalites (Maoist insurgents),” according to the book by the Chhattisgarh Board of Secondary Education.
The book says the Salwa Judum movement, launched in 2005, is a “peace march”.
Some rights organisations have alleged that the government-backed Salwa Judum was involved in human rights violations in the state.
“(Around) 70,000 tribals are living in camps in the state as a fallout of Maoist activities and state government is taking care of their basic needs,” the book reads.
“Certain areas of Chhattisgarh are safe haven of Naxalites… (and) are so inaccessible that even the colonial British government too did not manage to reach but now Chhattisgarh for the first time ever, is carrying out survey work of these areas,” the chapter notes.
The book has also thrown light on Bastar’s difficult terrain, which gives advantage to insurgents to stage their violent activities and build up terror network.
Chhattisgarh Education Minister Brijmohan Agrawal said the chapter about Salwa Judum and Maoist insurgency “will create awareness of how Maoists are acting as enemies to development”.
“Salwa Judum is a self-inspired movement to flush out Maoists, the younger generation must know how Bastar tribes are fighting against insurgents who are actually doing the best to block all kinds of developments such as road, education and health,” the minister told IANS.