Appeal to the President of India to Halt Ongoing Military Operations and Ensure a Ceasefire in Adivasi Regions

To Respected Ma’am,
The Hon’ble President of India
Rashtrapati Bhavan
New Delhi – 110004

Date: 24.04.25

Subject: Urgent Appeal to Halt Ongoing Military Operations and Ensure a Ceasefire in Adivasi Regions

We write to you at a critical juncture for Bastar (Chhattisgarh), Gadchiroli (Maharashtra), West Singhbhum (Jharkhand), and adjoining areas where the constitutional rights and the very lives of Adivasi communities are under unprecedented and immediate threat. Since January 2024, due to dramatic escalation in militarisation and intensified Operations in Bastar alone, over 400 people have been killed, including civilians and children, with many of these deaths alleged to be fake encounters.

As the constitutional head of state—and the first Adivasi President of India—you hold a unique position of moral and political responsibility. In this moment of escalating violence and the resultant loss of hundreds of lives your voice and urgent intervention are critically needed to impress upon the Government to resort to dialogue as a means of conflict resolution.

We enclose a memorandum endorsed by hundreds of organisations and individuals across the country, urging you to advise the Government of India to declare an immediate and unconditional Ceasefire and to initiate Peace Talks with the CPI (Maoist) on an urgent basis.

In the last three weeks, the CPI (Maoist) has released three public statements expressing their readiness to observe Ceasefire and for Peace Talks, contingent upon the Government halting armed operations. Most recently, a Maoist leader, Rupesh, has through an interview given to Bastar Talkies, a popular YouTube channel (uploaded on 22 April 2025) announced that the Party has instructed its cadre to desist from any violent actions except in a situation where they are trapped and are forced to resist. This amounts to a unilateral ceasefire.

It is now incumbent upon the Government of India and concerned state governments to halt all armed operations immediately and agree to a Ceasefire. While the Government has claimed openness to “unconditional” dialogue, in practice, it has imposed pre-conditions—demanding surrender and return to the mainstream. Meanwhile, military operations have intensified dramatically. This is not, in our view, how a government committed to peace responds to overtures for dialogue. What is unfolding is a state-driven campaign to shut down the possibility of political resolution altogether.

At this juncture, an unconditional Ceasefire by the Government is a constitutional imperative. It is the only viable way to halt the violence, rebuild trust among Adivasi communities, and reaffirm the state’s commitment to justice, peace, and democratic values. The continued militarised response to what is fundamentally a political crisis—rooted in dispossession and historical marginalisation—has already caused immense and lasting harm. A just resolution is urgently required, one that recognises the present situation for what it is: a deepening political crisis involving the state’s own citizens.

In light of these developments and the gravity of the constitutional concerns they raise, we draw your attention to Schedule V of the Constitution, together with Articles 339(1) and 275(1), which confer upon your office a clear constitutional mandate concerning the welfare of Scheduled Tribes and the governance of Scheduled Areas. Given the scale and urgency of the present crisis, the constitutional responsibilities vested in your office under these provisions now call for immediate and decisive action.

We urge you to impress upon the Government of India the urgency of halting military operations, safeguarding Scheduled Areas, and initiating a genuine peace process involving local Adivasis. Your intervention could determine whether what follows from this moment is more bloodshed or a door is opened to a principled, constitutional resolution.

We remain committed to supporting all sincere and democratic efforts toward this end.

In solidarity and commitment to justice,

Prof. G. Haragopal
Peace and Dialogue Committee, Telangana

Soni Sori
Adivasi Activist, Dantewada, Chhattisgarh

Bela Bhatia
Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan

Kavita Srivastava
People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)

Kranthi Chaitanya
Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations (CDRO)

Parminder Singh
Democratic Front Against Operation Green Hunt, Punjab On behalf of the signatories to the memorandum

APPEAL FOR CEASEFIRE AND DIALOGUE

We, the undersigned organisations and individuals, welcome the CPI (Maoist) offer of peace talks and the Government of Chhattisgarh’s response keeping the door for talks open. However, the government needs to demonstrate its intent by stopping the war on the ground immediately. We further call upon both parties to keep the best interests of the Adivasis and other villagers in mind, and to engage in peace talks keeping in mind the constitutional, democratic and human rights of citizens within the broader framework of the Constitution of India.

The Adivasi dominated districts of Bastar division in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand and Gadchiroli in Maharashtra are currently at the epicentre of this conflict and the lives and well- being of the residents must be given first priority in any talks.

We appeal to both sides to accept and announce a ceasefire to stop the use of violence in any form with immediate effect. There should be no more hostilities from either side whether in the form of operations, extra-judicial killings and encounters, IED blasts and killing of civilians or any sort of violence.

The Government, which has been constituted under the Constitution of India, is obligated to be the first to observe, respect and function based on constitutional principles and values. In the spirit of the Constitutional vision and ethos, a major responsibility vests with the Government not to view the situation as though it is a ’war’ with an external adversary but as an internal conflict involving our own citizens which requires to be brought to an amicable settlement at the earliest. Crucial to this process is for the Government to demonstrate its magnanimity of spirit and commitment to constitutional values by taking the lead to call for peace talks with the Maoists without imposing prior conditions.

It is now exactly 20 years since the state sponsored and now banned Salwa Judum began in Bastar causing enormous misery in terms of people killed, villages burnt, rapes, starvation, mass displacement and other forms of violence. Since then, the villagers of Bastar have known little peace. They barely returned to their villages when they were faced with Operation Green Hunt and successive operations. Since 2024, under the name of Operation Kagar, over 400 people have been [1] killed (287 in 2024, 113 in 2025). While the exact numbers of civilians killed is unknown, given that several of those claimed as Maoists have been identified by villagers as civilians, it is evident [2] that civilians are being disproportionately affected . An Article 14 estimate

According to an official estimate, 16,733 people have been arrested in the last 25 years, and 10,884 [3] only 400 armed cadre left now. surrendered. The government claims that Maoists will be finished by March 2026, and there are [4] 4 April 2025 [5] saw several incidents of children being killed. SATP gives the breakup for 2025 at 15 civilians, 14 between 2018 and 2022 counts more civilians (335) killed than security personnel (168) and Maoists (327). 2024 [6], [7] security forces and 150 Maoists. The forces have got Rs. 8.24 crore as rewards for these killings.
The bulk of the weaponry recovered (a mere 263 weapons) is country-made pistols, crude 12 bore guns or muzzle loaders. [8] The number of ‘severely affected’ districts has come down to six. Under these circumstances, the Maoists are hardly such a security threat as to warrant the kind of offensive that we are seeing in terms of militarization.

Instead of observing the directions of the Supreme Court to disband SPOs and stop engaging surrendered/arrested Maoists in any form in counter-insurgency operations, the Government has expanded the use of District Reserve Guards and Bastar fighters consisting of ex-Salwa Judum recruits. They are the ones most responsible for human rights abuses, and their own human rights are abused in the process. Hardly any civilians have been compensated for their losses since Salwa Judum, and no prosecutions have taken place despite Supreme Court directions.

More than 160 security camps have come up across Bastar. [9]
Most of these are on the common lands and in some cases private lands of villagers, and are causing severe distress to the Adivasi [10], [11]inhabitants. There is approximately one security personnel per 9 civilians. The pace of schools, health services, public transport and other welfare schemes has not kept pace with that of roadbuilding. Instead, the government has signed a number of MOUs with mining companies, which villagers fear will lead to widespread displacement and environmental degradation. Their constitutional struggles against mining and other forms of displacement have been suppressed, both in the normal course and under the excuse of fighting Maoism
.
Villagers who have been peacefully protesting at various sites asking for their constitutional right to be consulted under PESA and other provisions have suffered severe repression – their protest sites have been demolished and villagers beaten. Mortar shells and bombs have been used indiscriminately causing panic among villagers who are no longer able to live normal lives. The Moolvasi Bachao Manch has been banned and its young leaders have been arrested, on serious charges like UAPA. The official justification is merely that they protested against security camps and extra-judicial killings, even though the Constitution guarantees the right to assembly and protest. The government has closed off any room for peaceful dialogue.

The Maoists should cease hostilities against state forces and the use of IEDs which endanger ordinary villagers, including children, and cattle. They should put an end to the ‘death sentences’ handed out in jan adalats.

In the conditions of armed struggle and state repression the real issues that concern the people are relegated to the background- such as food security, land and forest rights, education, health and cultural rights besides their multi-faceted exploitation. Any mining that comes up on their lands requires their consent. All these issues need to be immediately addressed, which is only possible under conditions of peace and justice.

We welcome all initiatives towards peace. As concerned individuals from various parts of the country, we once again demand peace talks within the ambit of the Indian Constitution.

We propose some simple yet urgent demands for which the government must initiate the process:

1. The government should stop the offensive in Adivasi areas, in order to facilitate a ceasefire.

2. The CPI (Maoist) should cease all hostilities against the state forces to facilitate a ceasefire.

3. Dialogue must begin between Government and CPI (Maoist).

4. Free access to the affected areas should be provided to the independent civil ?organizations and media.

5. People’s livelihood needs and constitutional rights must be addressed urgently.

6. The state should immediately release Adivasis and other activists jailed for asserting their democratic rights and disagreeing with state policies inimical to Adivasis so that they can participate in the talks and remain equal stakeholders in this dialogue. (For example, the activists of Moolvasi Bachao Manch).

We firmly believe that peace talks and a ceasefire are only the first step towards the restoration of democratic rights in Bastar. They should be followed by a sustained process towards permanent demilitarization of the area (including dismantling of all security camps), release of all concerned prisoners, reparation for all human rights violations, implementation of protective laws such as PESA and FRA, a moratorium on new mines, respect for the right to protest, and other conditions of free and democratic life.

We appeal to all democratic and political forces, including political parties, to support this process and make the state deliver its constitutional obligations.

Organisations

• Aadiwasi Adikar Bacchao Manch Bastar Sambhag C. G. (Bajasingh Kashyap).
• Adivasi Bharat Mahasabha (Saura Yadav).
• Akhil Bharatiya Krantikari Kisan Sabha (Hemant).
• Akhil Bharatiya Krantikari Mahila Sangathan (AIRWO) (Hema Bharati).
• All India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA) (Sagari, Nikita, Deepthi, Varsha, Priyanka, Pranjali).
• All India Inquilabi Youth and Students Alliance (ALIYSA) (Rahee, Heman, Raju, Shubham, ?Ritika, Laasya, Karthik).
• All India Kishan Mazdoor Sabha, Odisha (Pratap Kumar Nayak, Secretary, Odisha State ?Committee).
• All India Krantikari Kisan Sabha (A.I.K.K.S) (Sankar Inquilab, State Secretary Odisha).
• All India Lawyers Association for Justice (Clifton D’ Rozario and Maitreyi Krishnan).
• All India People’s Forum (AIPF) (Brijendra Tiwari).
• All India Union of Forest Working People Aiufwp (Sukalo Gond (President), Ashok Choudhary).
• Anti-Jindal & Anti-POSCO Movement (JPPSS) (Prasant Paikray).
• Association for Protection of Civil Rights (Nadeem Khan).
• Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (Ranjit Sur).
• Bastariya Raj Morcha (Manish Kunjam).
• Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch (Gurkirat).
• Bharat Bachao (Inna Reddy Gade, Janjerla Ramesh Babu).
• Campaign Against Fabricated Cases (CAFC), Odisha (Narendra Mohanty).
• Campaign for Peace and Justice in Chhattisgarh (CPJC) (Isha Khandelwal, Sharanya Nayak,Nandini Sundar).
• Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan.
• Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha (affiliated to AIKS) (Sanjay Parate).
• Chhattisgarh Mahila Mukti Morcha (CMMM) (Neera Dehariya).
• Chhattisgarh Mines Shramik Sangh (CMSS) (Somnath Uike).
• Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha (CMM) (Janak Lal Thakur).
• Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha Mazdoor Karyakarta Samiti (CMM [MKS]) (Ramakant Banjare).
• Citizens’ Initiative for Peace (Nagaragere Ramesh& VS Sreedhar).
• Civil Liberties Committee Warangal. (K Praveen).
• Civil Liberties Committee, Andhra Pradesh (V.Chitti Babu, Ch.Chandra Shekhar).
• Civil Liberties Committee, Telangana (Laxman Gaddam, N.Narayana Rao).
• Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP) (Ravi Balla).
• Coordination Committee of Working Women, Rajasthan.
• Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations) (CDRO).
• Dalit Adivasi Manch, Pithora (Devendra).
• Democratic Front against Operation Green Hunt, Punjab (Parminder Singh, A. K. Maleri, Buta Singh Mehmoodpur, Yash Pal).
• Dr. Richhariya Foundation (Karthik).
• Ek Potlee Ret Ki (Kaani Nilam, Radhika Ganesh).
• FAOW (Mukta Srivastava).
• Fatima Shaikh Study Circle (Osama).
• Federation Mahila Samakhya Bihar (Urmila Kumari).
• Forum Against Corporatisation and Militarisation (FACAM) (Ehtmam and Badal).
• Forum Against Oppression of Women (Sandhya Gokhale).
• Forum Against Repression, Telangana (G. Haragopal, K.Ravi Chander).
• Ganatantrik Adhikar Surakhya Sangathan, (GASS), Odisha (Deba Ranjan, Golak Bihari Nath).
• Gaon Bachao Samiti, Mungeli (Naresh Bunkar).
• Guru Ghasidas Sevadar Sangh (GSS) (Lakhan Subodh).
• Hasdeo Aranya Bachao Sangharsh Samiti (Umeshwar Singh Armo).
• Hasrat-e-Zindagi Mamuli (Chayanika Shah).
• Human Rights Forum (S Jeevan Kumar, VS Krishna).
• Indian Nationalists Movement.
• INSAF (Vidya Dinker).
• Insani Biradari (Aadiyog, Imran Ahmad).
• Isai Adhikar Sangathan (Yacub Kujur).
• Jaati Unmoolan Andolan (Tuhin, Bandu Meshram, MK Dasan).
• Jaldhara Abhiyan (Upendra Shankar).
• Jan Hastakshep CR Park (Animesh Das).
• Jan Mukti Morcha (Ishwar Nirmalkar).
• Jan Sangharsh Morcha (Prasad Rao).
• Jana Chinthana Kendra (Lalitha, V.S. Sreedhara, Mohan).
• Janatha Vikas (Hareeth Rudha,).
• Jashpur Vikas Samiti (Clement Lakra).
• Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (B B Choudhary, Elina Horo, Siraj Dutta, Tom Kavla).
• Justice News (Arun Khote).
• Karnataka Janashakti (Noor Sridar, Mallige, Kumar, Ashok).
• Karnataka Shramik Shakti (Sushma, Ravi, Chennamma, Satish, Varada).
• Khudai Khidmatgar (Qamar).
• Lok Sirjanhar Union (Virendra Bhardwaj).
• Mahila Munnade (Poornima, Shilpa, Gowri).
• MAKAAM.
• Manomitram (Renny Antony).
• Mission Justice (Tapan Padhi, Founder President).
• Nagariya Nikay Janwadi Safai Kamgar Union (JP Nair)
• Nagrik Adhikar Samiti, Jharkhand (Ashok Verma).
• Nari Shakti Club (A Kujur).
• Narmada Bachao Andolan (Medha Patkar, Kamla Yadav, Mahendra).
• National Alliance for Justice, Accountability and Rights (NAJAR) (Advocates Gayatri Singh,Indira Unninayar, Purbayan, Deeptangshu Car, Katyayani Chandola, Carina).
• National Alliance of People’s Movement (Arundhati Dhuru, Ashish Ranjan, MeeraSanghamitra).
• National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW).
• Nav Lok Janwadi Manch - (NLJM) (GN Singh).
• New Trade Union Initiative (Milind Ranade, Gautam Mody, Manas Das).
• Odisha Manarega Shramik Union (P Parvati).
• Pahal Sansthan.
• Peace Dialogue Committee (Former Justice Chandra Kumar, Jampanna).
• People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) (Harish Dhawan, Paramjeet Singh).
• People’s Watch (Henri Tiphagne).
• People’s Democratic Forum (V S Sreedhara, N Ramesh and Babaiah).
• People’s Union for Civil Liberties (Kavita Srivastava, V Suresh).
• Porattom, Kerala (MN.Ravunni).
• Pradesh Kisan Sangh (PKS) (Sudesh Tikam).
• Pragatisheel Cement Shramik Sangh (Bhuvan Sahu).
• Pragatisheel Kisan Sangathan (Rajkumar Gupta).
• Queer Collective India (Priyank Sukanand).
• Queer Poets Collective (Rumi Harish, Dadapeer Jyman, Sunil Mohan).
• Rajsamand Mahila Manch (Lalita Sharma).
• Relaa (Kaladas Dehariya).
• Revolutionary Cultural Forum (Tuhin).
• Revolutionary Youth Association (RYA) (Niraj Kumar).
• Rowghat Sangharsh Samiti (RSS) (Somnath Usendi).
• Saajhi Duniya (Roop Rekha Verma).
• Sajha Kadam (Praveer Peter).
• Samta.
• Sarv Adivasi Samaj (BS Rawate).
• Save Dwarka Forest People’s Movement (Tanuja Chauhan).
• Telangana Democratic Forum.
• Trade Union Centre of India (TUCI) (Bichitra Patra).
• Young People for Politics (Nivedita Ravi).

Concerned Citizens

• A Banerjee
• A Suneetha
• A.S. Jaswal
• Aabha Muralidharan
• Aakar Patel
• Abha bhaiya
• Abid Shah
• Addanki Veeranjaneyulu
• Ajai Singh
• Ajay T G
• Akhileshwari Ramagoud
• Alok Agnihotri
• Amita Sheereen
• Amitabha Basu
• Anand Malviya
• Ananda Moy Banerji
• Ananta Deb Dutta.
• Anju K, Disability
• Ankita Aggarwal
• Anto Joseph
• Anupriya S
• Anuradha Banerji
• Anuradha Kapoor
• Anuradha Talwar
• Apurba Roy
• Aratrika
• Arindam Roy
• Arun Vyas
• Aruna Nellutla
• Arvind Narrain
• AS Vasantha Kumari
• Ashalatha
• Ashima Roy Chowdhury
• Ashis Biswas
• Ashish Reddy
• Ashley Tellis
• Ashok Kumar Rana
• Ashok Sharma
• Asim Giri
• Avani Chokshi
• Avijit Dutt
• B Muralidhar
• Balreddy Jitta
• Bappadittya Sarkar
• Barnali Mukherjee
• Beena Choksi
• Bela Bhatia
• Bhanumathi Kalluri
• Bharat Majhi
• Bhoomika Pandhare
• Bina Sarkar Ellias
• Biraj Mehta
• Biswapriya Kanungo
• Bittu Kondaiah
• BM Prasad
• C B Choudhary
• C Mitra
• Carol Geeta
• Cedric Prakash
• Ch. Balkishan Rao
• Chanda Asani
• Chandrasekhar
• Chandu
• Chitra Joshi
• D Sengupta
• Deepa
• Deepika Sondhi
• Denzil Fernandes
• Dinesh Yadav
• Diviya
• Dr Sunilam
• Ekeko
• Fawaz Shaheen
• Frazer Mascarenhes
• George Monipalli
• Gopal Mishra
• Goutam Kumar Bose
• Gova Rathod
• Gurbir Singh
• Harsh Mander
• Hem Mishra
• Himanshu Kumar
• Indira Unninayar
• Indrani Chakraborty
• Indranil Roychowdhury
• Iqbal Khan
• Isha Khandelwal
• J Devika
• Janjerla Ramesh Babu
• Jaya Iyer
• Jaya Vindhyala
• Jean Dreze
• Joseph Xavier
• Judah
• Judah Sharon
• K A Shaji
• K Manoharan
• K P Fahian
• K Praveen Kumar
• K Sajaya
• K Sukumaran
• Kailash Mina
• Kamal Gopinath
• Kamini Tankha
• Kanduri Praveen Kumar
• Kanthimathi Thirunavukkarasu
• Kavva Laxma Reddy
• Ketan Maitra
• Khalil ur Rehaman
• Komal Saigal
• Krishna Prasad
• Krishnakant Chauhan
• Lakhbir Khunkhun
• Lalita Ramdas
• Latha K Biddappa
• Madhubanti
• Madhumitha Shankar
• Madhuri
• Mallesh
• Manav Sivaram
• Manish Azad
• Manisha Banerjee
• Manoranjan Mohanty
• Mary
• Md Shafiuddin
• Millind Champanekar
• Mira Shiva
• Mohamed Miandad
• Mohan K Tikku
• Mouli Sharma
• Muthu Azhagan
• MV Ramana
• N Venugopal
• Nagaragere Ramesh
• Nalini Nayak
• Nancy Gaikwad
• Narla Ravi
• Natarajan D V
• Navsharan Singh
• Neetisha Khalkho
• Nikita
• Nikita Jain
• Nikita Naidu
• Nisha Biswas
• Niteen Gupte
• Nivedita
• P M Tony
• P Rohini Rajasekaran
• P Vishnuvardhanarao
• Padmini Baruah
• Pankaj Yadav
• Paran Amitava
• Pardeep larroya
• Paromita Dutta
• Peter D’Cruz
• Ponnala Vijayanandareddy
• Pradeep Mandhyan
• Pragnya Joshi
• Prakash Louis
• Prakriti
• Pranjali Tripathi
• Prashant Rahi
• Pritha
• Radha Kumar
• Radhika
• Raghavender Reddy
• Rajani Rao
• Rajaraman
• Rajendran Narayanan
• Rajesh Ramakrishnan
• Ramesh Dixit
• Rameswari Varma
• Ramneek Singh
• Ranjana Padhi
• Rasheedudheen Alpatta
• Rashna Imhasly
• Rati Rao E
• Ravi Joshi
• Ravinder Goel
• Renny Antony
• Renuka Kad
• Rita Anand
• Rohit Prajapati
• Roohdar X
• Roop Rekha Verma
• Rosemary Dzuvichu
• Rossi D’Souza
• Rukmini Rao
• Runu Chakraborty
• Rupa Pannalal
• S Balakrishna
• Sachidanand Sinha
• Sahithi
• Saidulu baja
• Salam Rajesh
• Salim Saboowala
• Sanober Keshwar
• Sarfaraz
• Satish Kumar Singh
• Satish Misra
• Satyanarayana S
• Savita Sharma
• Sebastian Joseph
• Shalini Gera
• Shalu Nigam
• Shiraz
• Shiv Prasad Singh
• Shreya Subramanian
• Shridevi PN
• Shubham Kothari
• Shubham Waydande
• Shujayathulla
• Smita Ramanathan
• Solomon
• Souvik De
• Srijan Dutta
• Srimant Mohanty
• Srinivas Bandla
• Sudhir Kumar
• Sudhir V ombatkere
• Sujata Madhok
• Sukanya Kanarally
• Sukanya Shantha
• Sukrita Paul Kumar
• Sumit Chowdhury
• Syed Akmal Razvi
• T Nishaant
• Tariq Durrani
• Thirumal
• Ulka Mahajan
• Ushasi Roy
• Vaishnavi
• Vani Subramanian
• Varsha
• Vasu H V
• Vertika Mani
• Vijay Kiyawat
• Vijaya Vanamala
• Vinod Kumar Tyagi
• Vinoo Hora
• Walter Fernandes
• Wandana Sonalkar
• Xavier Soreng
• Y J Rajendra
• Y Rajashekhar
• Yash Agrawal