There is a war situation in Bastar, says Pushpa Rokde, a journalist from Bijapur in Chhattisgarh.
Mrs. Rokde, who works with Prakhar Samachar, Hinda daily, tells how demanding journalism is in the conflict zone where left -wing extremist violence and security forces are colliding on Tuesday.
How does a journalist write about villagers without feeling the government, is he a Maoist sympathizer? On the other hand, if someone does not write about the villagers who are thinking about the government, many of them kill or end up in prison, says Mrs. Rokde about their problems.
Mrs. Rokde, a rare female journalist in the region, says it is not easy to walk together for hours inside the forest to inform about the state of villagers, their basic needs such as food, education and health, and even their complaints against the government and share these stories with the world.
Murder Mukesh Chandrakar
The murder of journalist Bijapur Mukesh Chandrakar emphasizes the difficulties that journalists face as they try to capture the reality of people’s everyday life.
Mrs. Rokde was one of a group of journalists who suspected that something was on their feet when they visited a place known to be one of Mukesh’s last known places. The site was owned by one of the suppliers for the road traffic project, whose costs were left from 50 crore to 120 crore.
After Mrs. Rokde and other journalists put pressure, there was an open septic that revealed Mukesh’s body. He was murdered for unveiling of corruption in the road traffic project built by the public work. “Journalists may end in losing their lives if they try to tell the truth. Even justice may not get. Only their family will remain to fight for them,” he says.
The heavy presence of safety forces
She also talked about disruption in the life of people caused by the heavy presence of security forces in Bastar because the government was trying to end the final blow of Naxals. “One camp of security forces has as many staff as there is a whole assembly in the audience. Every village could have five camps. Bastar has become a war zone.”
Mrs. Rokde says he doesn’t know how the security force campaign will end, but emphasizes that the last few months have been very difficult for Bastar people. “We do not know who or how much will be the victims of this last pressure of forces. Many villagers will catch the hairs and must be saved. If journalists do not come forward, these innocent people will kill themselves.”
She critical of the government’s “minded” focus on the completion of the Maoists, even if they try to restore the normality in the region. “The government does not focus on health, education or anything else.”
Journalist KK Shahina also spoke at the meeting of moderated NS Sajith.
Published – September 20, 2025 23:35 is
