Kartam Joga
Encyclopedia
Kartam Joga is a adivasi
India
n political activist for the Communist Party of India
(CPI). He is currently imprisoned in Chhattisgarh
on suspicions of participating in the Tarmetla ambush in which 75 members of the Central Reserve Police Force
were killed by CPI (Maoist) forces. Amnesty International
named him a prisoner of conscience
and described the charges against him as "fabricated".
, a militia operating against armed Maoist groups. Adivasis (Indian aboriginal peoples) like Joga are alleged to be particular targets for the Salwa Judum, and Joga dedicated himself to exposing alleged human rights abuses against them.
In 2007, Joga joined three other activists in petitioning India’s Supreme Court
regarding human rights violations in Chhattisgargh, charging that the Salwa Judum had committed numerous human rights violations. The petition further argued that the Salwa Judum was sponsored and supplied by state security forces. In April 2008, the Court directed India’s National Human Rights Commission to investigate the charges; an NHRC report partially confirmed them eight months later, and Chhattisgarh authorities were ordered to help disband the Salwa Judum and to compensate the victims.
, were killed by Naxalite rebels in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district
. The Hindu
described the incident as the "worst-ever Naxalite
attack on the Central paramilitary force personnel". On 14 September, Joga was arrested in Dantewada
and charged with involvement in the crime. He was 40 years old at the time of his arrest.
Amnesty International protested his arrest, arguing that Joga's philosophy had always been nonviolent and alleging that he had been detained in retaliation for his Supreme Court petition. The organization named him a prisoner of conscience
and called for his immediate release. A spokesman for Joga's party, the CPI, described his arrest as "part of a sinister design".
Police responded that eyewitnesses had identified Joga at the scene; however, on 28 September, The Hindu reported that some of the witnesses of the police list claimed they had never even spoken with investigating officers. The article expressed skepticism of the police account, noting "for Mr. Joga to be identified, witnesses would have had to spot him at 300 metres, among 300 identically dressed Maoist fighters engaged in a pitched battle." Joga's son has also supported his father's innocence, stating that his father was at home 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) away at the time of the attack.
Adivasi
Adivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups claimed to be the aboriginal population of India. They comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India...
India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n political activist for the Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
(CPI). He is currently imprisoned in Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....
on suspicions of participating in the Tarmetla ambush in which 75 members of the Central Reserve Police Force
Central Reserve Police Force
The Central Reserve Police Force also known as CRPF is the largest of India's Central Armed Police Forces. It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain...
were killed by CPI (Maoist) forces. Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
named him a prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views...
and described the charges against him as "fabricated".
Activism
In 2005, Joga was attacked by the Salwa JudumSalwa Judum
Salwa Judum refers to a militia in Chhattisgarh, India, which is aimed at countering the naxalite violence in the region...
, a militia operating against armed Maoist groups. Adivasis (Indian aboriginal peoples) like Joga are alleged to be particular targets for the Salwa Judum, and Joga dedicated himself to exposing alleged human rights abuses against them.
In 2007, Joga joined three other activists in petitioning India’s Supreme Court
Supreme Court of India
The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...
regarding human rights violations in Chhattisgargh, charging that the Salwa Judum had committed numerous human rights violations. The petition further argued that the Salwa Judum was sponsored and supplied by state security forces. In April 2008, the Court directed India’s National Human Rights Commission to investigate the charges; an NHRC report partially confirmed them eight months later, and Chhattisgarh authorities were ordered to help disband the Salwa Judum and to compensate the victims.
Arrest
On 6 April 2010, seventy-five troops, primarily from the Central Reserve Police ForceCentral Reserve Police Force
The Central Reserve Police Force also known as CRPF is the largest of India's Central Armed Police Forces. It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain...
, were killed by Naxalite rebels in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district
Dantewada District
Dantewada District, also known as Dantewara District or Dakshin Bastar District , is a district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Dantewada is the district headquarters. The district is part of Bastar Division...
. The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
described the incident as the "worst-ever Naxalite
Naxalite
The word Naxal, Naxalite or Naksalvadi is a generic term used to refer to various militant Communist groups operating in different parts of India under different organizational envelopes...
attack on the Central paramilitary force personnel". On 14 September, Joga was arrested in Dantewada
Dantewada
Dantewada is a town and a nagar panchayat in the Dantewada district in the state of Chhattisgarh, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Dantewada District....
and charged with involvement in the crime. He was 40 years old at the time of his arrest.
Amnesty International protested his arrest, arguing that Joga's philosophy had always been nonviolent and alleging that he had been detained in retaliation for his Supreme Court petition. The organization named him a prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views...
and called for his immediate release. A spokesman for Joga's party, the CPI, described his arrest as "part of a sinister design".
Police responded that eyewitnesses had identified Joga at the scene; however, on 28 September, The Hindu reported that some of the witnesses of the police list claimed they had never even spoken with investigating officers. The article expressed skepticism of the police account, noting "for Mr. Joga to be identified, witnesses would have had to spot him at 300 metres, among 300 identically dressed Maoist fighters engaged in a pitched battle." Joga's son has also supported his father's innocence, stating that his father was at home 100 kilometres (62.1 mi) away at the time of the attack.