After years of Anti-establishment ire, Manor may turn into another Bihar

In January 1998, the tribals in the same pada had similarly attacked a police party leaving three constables injured grievously. The earlier talati (tehsil-level revenue officer) K JMhapse had been similarly confined and attacked by tribals from the neighbouring pada in September 1995. According to the official (who requested anonymity) the tribals have a deep-rooted angst against the establishment.

"Anything or anybody even remotely symbolising the establishment is enough for them to unleash their opposition," he points out. Kaluram Dhodade (himself a tribal) – the activist who heads Bhumi Sena, an activist outfit working in the region since the 70s agrees that the tribals feel neglected. "They took away our forests, our lands and didn’t even bother with the doles which they lavish on non-tribals," he says bitterly, adding, "We therefore decided that we’ll grab what is rightfully ours as it does not come from asking."

A trip through the padas is enough to convince anyone of the villagers’ plight. Located on the periphery of the non-tribal village none of them have civic facilities like even a water tap per pada. Forget schools and power supply, they don’t evenhave access to healthcare and have to go all the way to Wada or Manor to find a doctor.

"When they don’t want to bother about our development who gives them the right to police us or sit in judgment," a Bhumi Sena worker from Vedga Pada

, Dharma Ghorkana (35), told The Indian Express, "We can do that ourselves." The Bhumi Sena’s rationale for its stance is that the Government itself is responsible for the pass by giving tribals the right to self-rule under the Panchayati Raj.

Vivek Pandit, whose organisation Shramjeevi Sanghatna has been undertaking community development work in this region begs to differ. "Self-rule means having a say over your own ecology and not what the Bhumi Sena is misleading the poor tribals into believing," he remarks. While denouncing the `inhuman attack on constable Patil’ he said, "The tribals are being robbed of the forest produce, their trees are being cut down and the rivers which flow from the region are providing water to distant Mumbai while they godry."

According to him it was a struggle against this that the slogan Hamara gaon hamara raaj was coined. However, after 1995 the Bhumi Sena turned its struggle into a tribal versus non-tribal one. "All the senior non-tribal office-bearers left and the organisation took on strident militancy," informs one of the senior office-bearers who had left. He adds, "Development took a back seat and new radicalism took over which is becoming more and more shrill as the organisation dodders with a dwindling mass base."

And the police only seem to be making the Biharification easier. The villagers speak of how they are rounded up every time there is any crime in the vicinity. "Just because word reached the outside world there is so much of focus this time but there is a long history of police atrocities in the region," points out Dhodade.

Their handling of the Kirat episode only reaffirms this. For example, the police claim that the 15 people being held in police custody at Palghar are the only peopledetained. But two persons this reporter met claimed otherwise. "We were taken to the Manor police station on February 1 and detained there for 13 days till Dhodade did not come to free us," alleges Devji Lad whose name does not figure on the cop’s wanted list.

Moreover, the cops also nabbed the prime accused Ramakant Pawar’s infirm father Nana (90) who is hard of hearing and whose name does not appear on the list. "We requested them to release him earlier but our entreaties did not work," Lad points out.

Nana only sobbed gesticulating frantically to show his concern for his son’s safety when this reporter met him. The Manor police deny this calling the allegations "baseless". The Dy SP Ravindra Sengaonkar asked, "Are we not answerable to anybody?" According to him "an occasional slap or a yelling is being exaggerated by the villagers to put the police into trouble." He claims that he has information of the whole thing being orchestrated. "I have spoken to people who were present at a meeting where allthis was decided," he claimed. Tribal Welfare Minister Vishnu Sawra who visited the village on Tuesday has promised that an inquiry committee will be appointed to study the case. "I have already requested for the same from Home Minister Gopinath Munde along with my report after my visit," he said. Without naming Bhumi Sena he said, "I’m concerned that the poor illiterate tribals are being incited by self-serving forces active in the area," and promised urgent steps from the government to neutralise the same.