Chidambaram visits ‘Chaudhury Ghumai’; interacts with AAJVS staffs and officials

Sanjib Kumar Roy
Port Blair, Jan 23: The Union Home Minister, Mr. G Chidambaram today visited ‘Chaudhury Ghumai’ the site where the controversial Jarawa semi-naked dance video was allegedly shot in 2008. The Lt. Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lt. Governor Bhopinder Singh, accompanied the Home Minister during his today’s visit to Andaman Trunk Road. Senior officials of A & N Administration also accompanied the Home Minister.

“At Chaudhury Ghumai the Home Minister interacted with the staffs of Andaman Adim Janjaty Vikas Samity (AAJVS). During the visit he also got a first hand experience of driving along Andaman Trunk Road, through Jarawa Tribal Reserve Forest,” sources told ‘Andaman Sheekha’ today.

According to revelation made by an English Weekly in Andaman, The Lights of Andaman, the controversial Jarawa Video was shot on 6 November 2008 at Chaudhury Ghumai by some army personnel, who had come by two vehicles – a truck and a gypsy.

The paper claimed that the vehicles had crossed the check post at Middle Strait with special permission after the last convoy had left the point. Vehicles are allowed to travel only in convoys on the Andaman Trunk Road (ATR), where the incident allegedly took place.

However, this fact has not been confirmed by A & N Administration till now and the visit of Home Minister to ‘Chaudhury Ghumai’ was not mentioned in Official itinerary of A & N Administration.

Meanwhile, the Tribal Welfare Department today clarified that the visit had no connection with the Jarawa video Case.

“That was not the purpose of Home Minster’s visit to ‘Chaudhury Ghumai’. The visit was for just assessment to see how ATR is managed by Andaman and Nicobar Administration,” Mr. Som Naidu, the Director of Andaman’s Tribal Welfare Department told ‘Andaman Sheekha’ today.

Earlier, on the way to ‘Chaudhury Ghumai’ the Home Minister met the Pradhan and Villagers of Tushnabad Village, which is disturbed because of crocodile attacks and Buffer Zone implementation.

“We have submitted a memorandum to the Home Minister and requested him to keep Buffer Zone out of the area of Tushnabad Panchayat as even fishermen in the village are getting arrested for entering the sea. We also informed the Home Minister that two persons have been killed in our area by crocodile in last three months,” Mohan Halder the Pradhan of Tushnabad Village told ‘Andaman Sheekha’ today. Later at 1240 hrs the Home Minister left for Mainland India.