Sanjib Kumar Roy
Port Blair, Jan 17: The Jawara semi-naked dance video has caught authorities, pant down. Jarawa Tourism and Human Safari remained open secret for several years in past but for this, whom should we blame? An angry DGP vented out his anger on tour operators on Friday last during a meeting with tour operators at Conference Hall of SP office. “Apni to karatey ho, Bezati…Hamri Bhi Karatey ho.” But are tour operators only responsible for Jarawa Tourism.
Last week, a case was registered on a Tourist Vehicle drive for allowing a Kolkata tourist to shoot video of Jarawa, ironically no case was registered against the tourist who filmed the video.
The message is clear, the entire Administration is on the toe and is desperately looking for a scapegoat on the Jarawa Video issue. As Home Minister of India is also scheduled to visit these Islands, the pressure is mounting on the Administration to give explanation on the Jarawa Video case. National Advisory Council, NGOs, Prime Minister everybody is waiting for some action from the side of A & N Administration. So, somebody has to be caught for shooting this video.
But the million dollar question here is whether we should crucify the videographer or reward him for recording the evidence of such exploitation of Jarawa Tribes. Is that the only occasion of Jawara exploitation? Only occasion where people feed them? Only occasion when outsiders touched them or asked them to dance? (See page 3 photo in Moving eye column) If the person wouldn’t have shot the video, nobody in this earth would have ever known about the dark side of Andaman Tourism. Whatever could have been the intension behind shooting the video, before crucifying the videographer the government must thank him atleast once.
There is one more reason for remaining grateful to the videographer. The video if watch properly once can easily make out that one person moving behind the Jarawa Girls, was wearing a camouflage uniform. The accent of people talking in the video is also not local. Moreover, the height of the camera and the broad view, suggest that the video was taken from the rare end of an open trunk or van, much like a military van. When the world is putting allegations on A & N Police, there should be atleast someone in Administration to say the video was shot by Army Jawans.
Meanwhile, Light of Andamans in its 13 January 2012 issue has published that the video was shot three years back on 6th November 2008, in which two vehicles – a truck and a gypsy belonging to the army were involved. The Editor of LoA Mr. Zubair Ahmed has also published some concrete evidences to substantiate the report.
This is also an open secret that more than local people and tour operators, some of the top officials of Administration promote Jarawa Tourism. How many top level officers will be able to put their hands on their heart and say that they had never sent their guests to Baratang to see Jarawa?
Rules are very strict for ordinary persons at ATR but rules are often broken for VIP guests. For Jarawa Tourism, more than an ordinary tour guys, some top level officers are responsible. There is a need to find out details about each such trips and fix responsibility on them as well. The issue of semi-naked Jarawa Dance video should not end with catching just one guy. The Andaman and Nicobar Police, which has a brilliant record of cracking some of the most difficult cases in A & N Islands, must bring this case to a logical conclusion.
If Defence Personnel are involved they must be brought to book and if top officers are involved, action must also be taken against them. As things are becoming clear that uniformed persons were involved in this heinous act, entire world is now waiting to see how justice is done in A & N Islands.
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