According to Sumer, Jindal has even gone so far as to hire people to rape any women who dare stand up to him. One such woman was Tarika Ekka Tarangini, whose family had been fighting Jindal in court since 2004. In 2005, two men who worked for Jindal approached Sumer and offered to hire him for an unspecified but well-paying job. Sumer knew one of the men as a fellow wrestler, so he figured that even if the job involved intimidating someone else, it would not involve anything too nefarious. At worst, he thought it may involve pilfering some food reserves from someone who had more than they needed, and then redistributing it to the poor and needy. When he realized they wanted him to rape Tarika Tarangini, he refused. They responded by threatening him, and warning him that if he did not comply with their wishes, he would never find work in the area again, and that they would teach him a brutal lesson. He still refused and so they had him beaten within an inch of his life.
He later found out that Jindal had hired other wrestlers to kill some of the Adivasi that were refusing to give over their land to him. He also knows of several wrestlers who were killed for refusing to harm their fellow tribesmen.
Sumer has seen firsthand how much damage Jindal has done to the tribal communities. After Sumer refused to rape Tarika, Jindal had her brother killed, and continued his efforts to intimidate her. After many years of hiding in silence, Sumer realized that the woman he had been hired to rape now went by the name Jarnail Kaur, and that she had continued her battles against Jindal in the courts, undeterred by his thuggery. Jarnail’s courage inspired him to finally go public, and let the world know about Naveen Jindal’s evil actions.
In a February 2024 interview, Sumer reiterated his resolve to me. “I have seen too many children killed for speaking up. I have been silent for too long. I need to be a lion, living according to a righteous code. They may break my hands and legs, but they will not break my spirit. I will speak the truth.”
He has now gone public with his accusations, and has filed reports with several government agencies concerning Jindal’s many crimes. He knows that doing so puts his life at risk, and that the various agencies may not even respond. Sadly, Jarnail’s story backs up this possibility. According to Jarnail, official complaints about Jindal in the past have been completely ignored, due to how much power he wields. “In our state of Chhattisgarh, his money and power form and influence the government, no matter who is in power. We can only hope and pray that as more people hear our story, our government will do the right thing.”
Last month, after going public with his accusations against Jindal, Sumer was assaulted again. Thankfully, his injuries were not as serious, but he knows he is risking everything to speak up.
“I am a citizen of the Kshatriya clan and my first duty is to protect the Kshatriya clan. Since time immemorial, my fellow tribals have protected our shared water, forests, and land from those who would steal it from us. Jindal has treated us worse than the invading Mughals of old. I must oppose the caste society he promotes that leaves us helpless and oppressed. Jindal does not believe in justice; he takes what he wants no matter the cost to my people…
Naveen Jindal is an evil, greedy man, and he hired me to rape Jarnail Kaur because she would not remain silent while he stole her land. To honor her and her many sacrifices, I also will not be silent anymore.”
Sumer’s courage must be admired. His story must be told, and his testimony concerning Naveen Jindal must be taken seriously. Naveen Jindal remains one of the most powerful people in India, and he wields great power on an International level. He has a highly influential business university named after him in Texas, and he recently brokered a massive trade deal between the State of Texas and India. Texas’ current governor, Gregory Abbott, considers Jindal a close friend. Yet Jindal’s legacy amongst India’s tribal communities remains one of death, destruction, and land-grabbing. His tyranny must be exposed.
