Naxalism growing due to socio-economic exploitation: Sathidar

Marathi film actor of movie `Court` Vira Sathidar says naxalism is growing because of increasing socio-economic exploitation

Gadchiroli: Naxalism is growing because of the increasing socio-economic exploitation, says Vira Sathidar, the lead actor of Marathi film "Court", India's entry to Oscars 2016.

"Britishers brought capitalism in place of imperialism and this capitalism is still prevailing in the country in which common people, tribals, dalits and backwards are exploited in large scale," Sathidar told reporters here.

"It is because of this increasing socio-economic exploitation that Naxalism is also growing. Until this exploitation does not stop, Naxalism will also not come to an end," he said.

Sathidar was in the city to attend a program of Veer Baburao Shedmake Martyrs Day.

Revolutionary thoughts are deliberately repressed by the capitalist forces with the help of the state and the police because they feel that their existence will come to an end, he said.

The innocent people are being killed by the police in the name of Naxals. If one stands with such victims, the government brands them as Naxals, the activist said and demanded that this should be stopped.

The govt makes a hue and cry about the killings by Naxals and other terrorist groups, but, in fact, the deaths occurred during custody of police and security forces are much more, Sathidar pointed out giving reference of a report of Asian Center for Human Rights.

There are 16,465 custodial deaths as against 10,219 Naxal-related deaths, he said quoting the report.

On the movie "Court" which is India's official entry to the Best Foreign Language category of the 2016 Academy Awards, he said the film depicts how dalits and backwards are repressed by the judicial system and the police.

The movie was exhibited in 32 countries of the world before being sent as India's entry to the Oscars, he said.

He said merely reading the preamble to the Constitution is not sufficient. Its universal values such as equality, socialism, secularism should come into reality for the welfare of the people as was expected by the architects of the Constitution, Sathidar said.