Aboriginal Indian Activist Faces Abuse for Decrying State Abuse

Fresh from a hospital after a chemical in the face, aboriginal activist Soni Sori accused the Indian government of expelling tribes of the jungle to extract their natural resources "in the name of growth."

The attack occurred last February 20, when three motorized men cornered her in the troubled easters region of Chhattisgarh, as she was returning from denouncing abuse against several civilians.

Now, despite the support she receives in Delhi, she said she wants to return as soon as possible Chhattisgarh, where there is active conflict between the Naxalite guerrillas, who seek to impose a Maoist agrarian revolution, and Indian troops.

Sori criticized the police for connecting the tribal communities with the guerrillas; to be "Adivasi means going to jail or dying in the name of the Naxalites," who are also accused of using violence.

"I'm with those who want to fight in a manner that is peaceful, democratic and respects the Constitution," said the native, who said that she has been accused on numerous occasions of being a Maoist simply for raising her voice against abuses.

In 2011, in a case that gained international impact, Sori was arrested in Delhi and transferred to a police station in Chhattisgarh, accused of acting as an intermediary between the Maoists and a multinational that wanted to exploit natural resources.

The activist, who remained in prison for several years, said that she was raped and tortured during her arrest.

Sori recalled the period before the conflict period between the Maoists and Indian security forces, when the "good life" in harmony with "the water, the jungle and the earth."