'Adivasi rights under siege': Activists demand end to Operation Kagar

Bengaluru: A public discussion on Operation Kagar’s impact on Adivasis was held in Bengaluru on Saturday. 

Organised by Karnataka Peoples Forum Against War on Adivasis, the event brought together prominent speakers, including Prof G Hargopal and activist from Bastar Soni Sori, to address the militarisation, corporatisation, and peace processes affecting Adivasi communities.

Sori, a survivor of state violence herself, called Operation Kagar a “genocide” against Adivasis, not a war on Maoists.

She highlighted how this new offensive is merely a continuation of previous assaults like Operation Greenhunt and Salwa Judum.

She detailed the brutal realities faced by tribal people, from mass burials of the deceased without informing their families to the specific horrors of rape and fake encounters endured by Adivasi women.

She framed the core issue as a blatant land grab, arguing that the so-called “war” is a smokescreen to seize mineral-rich lands from their rightful inhabitants.

Prof Hargopal linked the violence in Chhattisgarh to a broader trend of diminishing democratic space in the country.

He highlighted the historical context of Adivasi resistance, noting their parallel struggle for autonomy during the freedom movement.

The state, he argued, is recklessly using its monopoly on force, blurring the line between state and private violence

He pointed out that while the Constitution provides protections for Adivasi lands under Schedule 5, the state’s assertion of domain and its unholy nexus with corporate forces violate these rights. 

The speakers condemned Operation Kagar, a campaign they believe is designed to facilitate resource loot and suppress Adivasi resistance. They demanded an end to the violence and called for support from all sections of society to protect Adivasi rights and the environment.