New Delhi, Jan 11: Government has ordered an inquiry by the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) of Andaman & Nicobar Islands into a video footage showing semi-naked Jarawa tribal women allegedly being ordered to dance before tourists in return for food.
“Inquiry has been ordered (into the episode) and it is being headed by the Chief Secretary and DGP of Andaman & Nicobar Islands. They have been reporting to the Home Ministry and they are in contact with the Tribal Affairs Ministry as well,” Union Tribal Affairs Minister V Kishore Chandra Deo told PTI here.
Maintaining that “stringent action” will be taken against the people behind the episode, Deo termed the incident as “deplorable”, and said, “Administration is making efforts to locate the people. I am told that they have been able to find out who the videographer was.”
“We are trying to get the video clipping and the Home Ministry will refer it for technical examination to ensure how old it is,” the Tribal Affairs Minister said.
He said the time of the incident is yet to be ascertained and it did not occur in the recent past.
“This video-clipping, it is not fresh and not of recent time. Apparently, people have seen it on the internet for last four or five years. So that is yet to be established. But the fact is that it is not something which has happened in last few weeks or months,” he said.
Condemning the tourism which was being promoted in the name of Jarawa tribes, he said, “Its deplorable. You can not treat human beings like beasts for the sake of money. Whatever kind of tourism is that, I totally disapprove of that and it is being banned also.”
“It is clarified that at the time this video was recorded, most of the Jarawas did not wear clothes. Even today those in the jungle are not clothed. It is also obvious that it is videographer (who is breaking the law of the land) and who is inciting them to dance,” the preliminary report to the Home Ministry said.
An Andaman police statement also said it is amply evident that the person, who allegedly ordered the tribals to dance for the tourists taken to the reserve after reportedly taking a 200 pound bribe, is not a policeman as has been “widely and erroneously reported.”
The police said it was digging records to ascertain the year when the video was shot.
The statement said the police had asked London-based daily “The Observer”, which claimed in its report that a policeman had taken bribe to make the tribals, especially women, dance naked, has also been asked to apologise to the local police.
The newspaper, the statement said, was also asked to name the videographer so that legal action could be initiated against him for recording and releasing the video thereby lowering the dignity of the members of Jarawa tribe.
The Andaman police was also seeking help of the defence forces located in the island in order to identify the man present in uniform.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram is due to travel to the Island as planned on January 21 and is likely to discuss the Jarawa issue with the administration.
Union Tribal Affairs Minister V Kishore Chandra Deo told PTI that the Government has ordered an inquiry by the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) of A & N islands.
“This video-clipping, it is not fresh and not of recent time. Apparently, people have seen it on the internet for last four or five years. So that is yet to be established. But the fact is that it is not something which has happened in the last few weeks or months,” he said.
