Victims of Naxal Violence from Bastar Hold Silent Protest at Jantar Mantar, Demand Justice and Peace

NEW DELHI: A group of 50 victims of Naxal violence from Bastar, Chhattisgarh, held a silent protest at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, demanding justice and an end to the decades-long insurgency that has plagued their region. The protest, organised under the banner of the Bastar Shanti Samiti, saw participants carrying banners and placards with slogans such as "I am silent Bastar, but today I speak!" as they marched from Kartavya Path to Jantar Mantar.

The protestors, many of whom are victims of brutal Naxalite attacks, aimed to bring attention to the ongoing violence in Bastar. These attacks have severely injured some participants, including individuals who lost limbs due to landmine explosions.

Manguram Kawade, the coordinator of the Bastar Shanti Samiti and the leader of the protest, expressed the group's anguish. "We have been suffering from Naxalite violence for decades. Many villages in our area have been affected, and due to naxalism, the entire Bastar region is far from any development. Our demand is that the voice of Bastar be heard and that the people there be freed from this Naxal violence."

One of the protestors, Gudduram Lekam, shared his personal tragedy with the media. "On March 11, 2024, I was returning home after picking chillies from the fields when I stepped on a landmine planted by Naxals in the forest. The bomb exploded, and I lost my leg. I don't want anyone else to suffer the same fate, so it is crucial to eliminate naxalism from our region," he said.

The Bastar Shanti Samiti plans to use various platforms during their time in Delhi to raise awareness about the suffering of the people in Bastar, hoping to reach a wider audience in metropolitan areas. They seek to draw attention to the urgent need for peace and development in their region, which has long been stifled by Naxalite violence.