Silgar tribals went home, said- continue the protest

Nearly a month after protests against a camp of security forces at Silgar in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, the tribals gathered at the site have returned to their villages. The protesters, however, said that their agitation would symbolically continue and was not being called off. A panel of civil society members met Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and took the decision after his approval to meet a delegation of agitating tribal residents. Residents of over 30 villages in Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada districts have been agitating since May 14 against a newly established security camp in Silgar. On May 17, three people were shot dead in clashes between security personnel and protesters. Movement site. While the police claimed that the three men were Maoists, the family members of the deceased have denied the claim. According to the people present at the protest site, Police opened fire on the crowd, killing four; Three people died on the spot, while a woman injured in the stampede succumbed to her injuries. While villagers now wait to hear further about the meeting with civil society groups,

Most of whom have gone back home. Korsa Sukka, a resident of Gaganapally village, said they were returning to their land after the rains started. The villagers are also concerned about contracting COVID-19 and after consultations by the district administrations of Bijapur and Sukma, have decided to protest in small numbers. On Friday, only the villagers of Silgar remained at the protest site. The road between Silgar and Tarrem, which was barricaded with tree branches, has been cleared. “We had hoped that the government would take our demands seriously, but it has been proved time and again that they don’t care,” he said. So we will keep fighting in our own way. A tribal does not have the privilege to sit on dharna forever… but that does not mean we agree with the camp and other government policies,” said Musa Joga, a resident of Chutwai. .