Aparna Sen ‘distances’ herself from PCAPA

“The government should also ensure that there will be no police atrocities on poor tribal people,ensure that the tribal land should be returned to the tribals.”

Aparna said she had her doubts at the initial stage about the Maoists influencing the PCAPA,which has been spearheading resistance against government machinery since November 2008.

“Now I have no idea whether they (PCAPA) would work for the development of Lalgarh tribals. What I can say is that the movement was initiated against police torture on the innocent tribal people in the area. Do you recall the name of Chitamoni Murmu,who had lost her eye after

the police beat her? We went there to show solidarity with the innocent people,had no intention of doing politics over the issue,” she added.

Aparna and other intellectuals,including actor and playwright Kaushik Sen,Arpita Ghosh and Saonli Mitra,had visited Lalgarh and met PCAPA leader Chhatradhar Mahato,who was later booked.

“Later when they (Mahato and others) came to stage a sit-in demonstration in

the city,I had a meeting with them. They told me that since they feared the Maoists,they were unable to speak against them,” she said. “I do

not know what they are doing now.”

Playwright Kaushik Sen,too,is having second thoughts. “I feel the PCAPA is now being controlled by the Maoists. Moreover,this is my conviction that the political agenda to overthrow a state through an armed battle is a utopia,is not possible in a country like India,” said Kaushik,who was instrumental in protests against the Left Front government’s role in Singur,Nandigram and Rizwanur Rehman case.

Saonli Mitra,the playwright whom Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee appointed chairperson of the Railways Heritage Committee,however,said,“I cannot comment on the PCAPA’s role,sitting in Kolkata.”