Maoists on forced induction spree, children flee Jharkhand’s tribal villages

Doanti (name changed), aged around 16, has been making desperate calls to her cousin sister Kalawati (not the one who shot to fame after Congress heir apparent Rahul Gandhi made a surprise visit to her house in Maharashtra about a decade ago).

The tribal girl, who so far was proud of her independent life in her sleepy village tucked away in dense forests of Chotanagpur Plateau, just wants to run away from the place now. Not that Doanti is in love with a boy with whom her parents would not allow a nuptial tie or she is being forced to earn a living as a condition to continue in their house. The red terror, locally dreaded as “party”, has forced her to look for avenues away from home to lead a decent life.

The teen is among the hundreds, if not thousands, of young boys and girls – aged between five and 18 – who are being driven by the extremists of Communist Party of India (Maoist) in herds to force them into their training camps as “comrades”.

“The situation was not that bad till a few months ago as the area commanders would only seek volunteers to join their outlawed outfit, asking each household to part with one young family member or would even spare them after having getting little contributions in cash, food or shelter. But the villagers aren’t given a choice these days,” says Mayanti, who also hails from Jharkhand and works as a domestic help in Gurgaon, after the telephonic conversation of her friend Kalawati with the latter’s cousin.

Probably Maoism is not a movement anymore, as it happened to be when it was still recognised as Naxalism, which fought for social equality, not through democratic means but with guns.

Though Prakash Jha’s Chakravyuh painted Maoists as ideologists, who even compelled Kabir (Abhay Deol) – planted by Nandighat SP Adil Khan (Arjun Rampal) as an informer – convert into Azad for locals’ cause to resist government-sponsored land grabbing leading to mass displacement, the reality seems to be far from the movie. Doanti, a resident of Jharkhand’s Latehar district, requested Kalawati find her a job of domestic help as she wants to run away from her village (name withheld) fearing she might be forced to become a Maoist cadre.

Doanti, who happens to be the daughter of Kalawati’s stepfather’s elder brother and dropped out of school after spending early years in state capital Ranchi, hopes to be rescued by her cousin.

Many other girls her age, who were saved from the tentacles of child traffickers so far, now want to be employed as domestic helps or labourers in brick kiln from this tribal-dominated state out of the Maoists’ fear.

The creation of Jharkhand has certainly not helped these people of remote area which have been under the influence of red terror. Things have rather aggravated. It would be an irony if the Narendra Modi government, which came to the power after a thumping victory on the promise of security and respectable life to women and girls, doesn’t take note of the disturbing trend in Jharkhand and other similar tribal-dominated states.