Human Rights Watch has urged the Indian Government to formulate a comprehensive policy on internally displaced persons, in consultation with displaced persons.
In a statement condemning the forced eviction of indigenous persons by Forest Department in Khammam and Warangal districts of Andhra Pradesh, the international rights body came down heavily on the state-sponsored counter-insurgency drive, Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh. The release noted that escalation of tensions in the state has led to forced migration of between 30, 000 to 50, 000 villagers to Andhra Pradesh.
Human Rights Watch investigations in November and December 2007 found that most villagers had fled to Andhra Pradesh because of attacks by Salwa Judum and police. Once in neighboring Andhra Pradesh, many of these displaced persons settled in reserved forest areas. Saying these settlements are illegal, the authorities have without prior notice or due process repeatedly burned down the hamlets of hundreds of displaced persons, forcibly evicting them from forest lands.
For an overview of the state of internally displaced persons in India, please check Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre.
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