Curbing Left Wing Extremism through Mobile Phones

 

By Pratibha Singh.

A man is interviewed via mobile phone for a report on CGNet Swara.

In the year 2009, the Prime Minister had very rightly labelled “left wing extremism as the biggest threat to the internal security of India. Since then, the Central Government has tried to address the “Maoist problem” at various levels that include, security , development, administration and public perception.[1]  Though the response strategy has been sound, its implementation leaves much to be desired. In fact a report of an expert group to the Planning Commission of India on Development Challenges in Extremist Affected Areas[2] specifically highlights that the unrest is growing in states like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Chhattisgarh , Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and part of Maharashtrabecause they are minimally administered. It asserts that “there is a kind of vacuum of administration in these areas which is being exploited by the armed movement giving some illusory protection and justice to the local population”.

While much has been said about taking “firm action”[3]  after the  Maoist guerrillas ambushed the Congress Party convoy earlier this year,Shubhranshu Choudhary, founder of CGNET Swara has a different way of dealing with what is called the “Maoist problem”. He believes it emanates from a breach in communication between mainstream media and its hundred million strong tribal population. In the world’s biggest democracy, mainstream media is yet to be democratised. After having spent seven years with the Maoists while working on his book, “Let’s call Him Vasu”, he found that a vast number of tribals are turning to the Maoists because there is no one else to communicate with them. A tribal journalist is a rare occurrence, which also explains how language acts as a barrier when news from this part of India rarely makes it into the mainstream media. CGNet Swara, a voice portal system, has given voice to the Adivasis, who come from largely oral communities. “Most of these languages do not have a written script and knowledge is passed on through very strong oral traditions”. Consequently, neither print nor visual media are of much significance for the Adivasis.

CGNET Swara- How it Works?

The report on Perception Management in the Indian Army cites thatmany villages remain unconnected by road and do not have electricity. Mobility and manoeuvre are limited to foot in most areas. Where road communications exist, these have to be cleared for Improvised Explosive Devices and roadside bombs. Special boats and water crossing equipment is required to negotiate water bodies. In these conditions, the medium for propagating a viable perception plan would have to be well thought out”.

Against this backdrop, CGNET Swara, a citizen journalism project enables any illiterate person to record and listen to stories by calling on a designated number from a mobile phone. According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, the total number of telephone connections in India exceeded 91 crore in 2011. Shubhranshu Choudhary along with Bill Thies, who provided the current technology for CGNET Swara, used the ubiquitous nature of mobile phones for setting up this project in the war torn belt of India.

When a person calls on +91 8050068000, the message goes to a server in Bangalore. The caller then disconnects and waits. Within a few seconds, the caller receives another call which directs him to speak after the beep. Ease and economy are the assets of the system, which enables people from socially backward sections of the society to record their messages at no cost.

CGNET Swara receives around 400 calls everyday to listen to the reports(number of messages are less than 40). A team of dedicated moderators and volunteers (who come from both rural and urban landscapes) transcribe and verify these messages before publishing them on the CGNET website and other forms of social media. These stories are then picked up by the mainstream media outlets or government officials for action.

Chhattisgarh Chief Secretary , Sunil Kumar while emphasising the non official nature of the way he uses it has recently said, “I personally find it an effective source of feedback and grievance redressal from the grassroots. I do make use of it off and on”.

Impact

CGNET Swara can become “Google” for India’s poor. It has amplified the voice of those caught in conflict between the State and the Maoist Guerrillas. Largely callers through CGNET Swara highlight governance related issues (or the lack of it). This covers a plethora of issues like absence of teachers from schools, lack of roads and transport facilities in villages, poor condition in hospitals, complaints against private companies, non-payment of wages through rural employment schemes and corruption in the implementation of Forest Rights Act. CGNET also covers large public rallies and gatherings that are organised to raise awareness about individual’s rights and mal-administration in these areas. This platform had also covered the atrocities perpetrated by Salwa Judum, an armed anti Maoist militia.

There are ample success stories that echo of empowerment amongst the tribals, but one of the most touching stories is that of Pitbasu Bhoi from Ambikapur. On 8th January 2011, a citizen journalist posted an interview with Bhoi who was not paid his wages even after working 100 days for MGNREGA. A week later another citizen journalist ran into Bhoi and discovered that his son died due to non payment of wages.After two leading national dailies , Times of India and the Hindupicked up the story from Swara and followed up , Bhoi was paid his wages on 20 January 2011. He is now a regular contributor to Swara,despite not owning a cellphone himself, (He calls from someone else’s phones)[4]

Towards building a sustainable model

Local media needs to be strengthened in a dispersed geography marked by diverse culture and languages such as that of Central India. The CGNET Team at times in conjunction with other development agencies trains citizen journalists caught between the conflict between the State and the Maoist Guerillas. This enables people from diverse language groups to tell their stories. Swara has been training “youngAdivasis to record and convey their concerns over mobile phones”.

As strange as it may sound, but the government owned All India Radio does not broadcast any news bulletins in a tribal language. The Indian regulations also do not allow community owned radio stations. Swara is now deliberating on launching a radio system at 26.9 to 27.2 MHz which the law allows people to use without licences. Efforts are being made to bring it down to the cost that is affordable for the communities. Besides this, the Swara team is also trying to “scale up its model to include many more dialects and introduce newer services like a special channel on Indian law and one on local medicine”. The latter is already in its experimental phase.

Role of Women in CGNET Swara

While Shubhranshu Choudhary is of the view that they never actively promoted CGNET amongst women yet by now there are nearly as many women reporters as men. Women have covered a range of issues which are rarely covered by the mainstream media. Some women who are addressed as “investigative pro” have reported issues like witch hunting and exploitation of children in the tendu leaf industry. These reports have compelled agencies like National Human Rights Commission and National Commission on Child Rights to step forward and amend matters.

Conclusion

Swara citizen journalists assert that they are not a part of the maoist conflict and say that it exists because of the communication gap in the these areas.Green shoots of self-empowerment and an organised voice in the tribal community of India have perhaps threatened the existence of the Maoist leaders who had garnered their support by exploiting the lacuna in the administrative system.

The role of media in conflict affected areas is complex yet important in terms of how it serves development goals. As Mr. Choudhary has very rightly said, “Everyone knows that when you are dealing with your own people then roses are more useful than guns. If any one can help create a better communication system, which solves problems, then eventually there will be less need for guns. When small problems get accumulated, they are called big problems”.

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