New videos of police’s role in Andaman’s human safari scandal surface
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Two videos have revealed the role of Indian police personnel in the human safari scandal in the Andaman Islands.
A three minutes and 19 seconds clip, shot on a mobile phone, shows half-naked girls belonging to the Andaman Islands’ Jarawa tribe dancing for an Indian ‘police officer’.
A second, shorter clip also shows the tribal girl dancing in the presence of police.
The new evidence comes in the wake of the Orissa government taking swift action in a similar scandal involving the Bonda tribe.
The Andaman Police have repeatedly denied any involvement in the human safari scandal after an Observer probe found evidence that officers had accepted bribes to allow tourists to meet and film the Jarawa, Guardian reports.
The Andaman police failed to respond to the new allegations, claiming to be unable to view evidence submitted by the Observer because of problems with their internet connection.
But campaigners alleged that the police are involved in abusing the Jarawa, and the National Advisory Council report had also warned about the sexual exploitation of Jarawa women.
Andaman Chronicle’s campaigning editor Denis Giles claimed the tribal people being used by the police
The Indian government had earlier ordered a crackdown on human safaris after an Observer probe revealed that hundreds of tourists drove through the Jarawa jungle every day on the Andaman trunk road, taking photos of the tribe and throwing them fruit, biscuits and other snacks.
The Jarawa are believed to have lived on the Andaman Islands for tens of thousands of years but did not make contact with outsiders until about 14 years ago.
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