With barely three weeks to go for Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s visit to this district, the cold-blooded murder of a Baiga Adivasi is giving sleepless nights to the Kawardha district administration. Birju Baiga (36), father of four children, was allegedly hacked to death near village Putputa by Van Samiti members who had come to evict 11 Baiga families from forestland on Sunday last. The assailants were allegedly accompanied by forest officials and police. The Baigas are Chhattisgarh’s primitive tribe and are now at the verge of extinction.Eight days after the murder, over 300 protesters, including the victim’s family, are on an indefinite dharna demanding the arrest of the officials accused. They have turned down the Rs 10,000 which was offered as compensation until the arrests were made.Birju’s widow Jugri Bai alleged: ‘‘He was lynched by 300 Van Samiti men before my eyes. Forest officers and police did nothing to save him. They killed my husband because he resisted the displacement of Baiga families.’’The protesters have got the support of NGO Ekta Parishad’s national convenor P.V. Rajgopal. He was already in the area on a month-long satyagraha yatra against the eviction of Adivasis under the pretext of anti-encroachment drive.Rajgopal plans a march to Raipur on February 18 with the victim’s family and 5000-odd Ekta Parishad activists to the Vidhan Sabha. The budget session of the Vidhan Sabha begins on February 17 and Parishad members from all over the country have begun reaching Pandriya, 166 km from Raipur.Kawardha District Collector M.V. Subba Reddy said: ‘‘I have ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. Police have arrested three Van Samiti members. I am trying to convince Rajgopal about need to call off the agitation till the inquiry report is submitted.’’The Baigas have hardened their stand after police said they have a counter complaint against Birju. ‘‘He attacked three Van Samiti members and injured them, before they acted in self-defence,’’ claimed a senior police officer.Birju’s father disagreed with the police version. ‘‘My son was attacked with an axe. How can they tell such lies?’’ said Ravan. Before the eviction on February 9, no notice was served on the families. And the men were out to work when their hutments were knocked down. ‘‘Women were insulted and abused by goons of the Forest Department and police were mute spectators,’’ complains Rashmi, a local Ekta Parishad activist.A three-member fact-finding mission led by Sanjay Uphadhaya, a Supreme Court lawyer is also reaching Pandriya on February 17 to inquire into the murder. It will submit its report to the Centre seeking intervention in protecting the life and property of the Baigas.The tribals recall that former PM Rajiv Gandhi, who had visited a Baiga village in 1985-86, had sanctioned a special project for them. The district collector confirmed: ‘‘There is a special cell which is very much functional. We propose to distribute pattas to 3,100 Baiga families soon.’’ But the murder of Birju Baiga is likely to snowball into a struggle for the land rights of about five lakh Adivasi families, who are facing eviction.
