Human Rights Watch: India backing anti-Maoist vigilantes

New Delhi - Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Tuesday it wants India to stop supporting vigilantes in central Chhattisgarh state and hold accountable government security forces responsible for abuse of rights while carrying out armed operations against Maoist rebels. The vigilantes and security forces were responsible for attacking, killing, raping, burning down villages and forcibly displacing tens of thousands of people belonging to indigenous tribal communities who were caught in the deadly tug-of-war with the Maoists, the New York-based rights group said in a report. HRW also said Maoist rebels carried out bombings and had kidnapped, assaulted and executed civilians suspected of supporting the state-backed vigilante militia Salwa Julum. It called on the Maoists to end attacks on civilians and other abuses. The 182-page report released in Chhattisgarh capital Raipur documents human rights abuses against civilians by both the state security forces, the Salwa Julum and Maoist rebels. The report is based on four weeks of field research in Chhattisgarh and neighbouring Andhra Pradesh states in late 2007 and early 2008 and includes accounts from affected villagers, Salwa Julum leaders, government officials, police and former Maoist rebels, a HRW release said. HRW said the Salwa Julum was falsely described as a spontaneous citizens' anti-Maoist movement. The conflict has led to one of the largest internal displacements in India and at least 100,000 people have fled their villages, mainly in Andhra Pradesh, and are living in forests or temporary camps with limited access to health facilities, basic sanitation or livelihood opportunities, the report said. The government should help those who wished to return home, HRW said. It called on the Maoists to end attacks against civilians and allow camp residents to return to their villages without fear of reprisals. The report highlighted the abuse of children who were recruited by Naxalites (Maoists) as informers and for armed operations and were used by the police to assist security forces. Some children used as informers were as young as 6-years-old, the report said. India's federal Home Ministry did not directly respond to the report but said in a statement: 'India is a thriving democracy and has adequate institutional mechanisms to ensure that the human rights of its citizens are protected.' Maoist rebels, who claim to be fighting for the rural poor, tribal people and the landless, operate in 13 of India's 29 states. They usually target police and government installations but civilians have also been their victims. Thousands of people, mostly police, paramilitary personnel and government officials as well as rebels, have been killed in the insurgency since the late 1960s. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoist rebels as India's single biggest internal security threat.