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Analysis
Red Fever in the
Liberated Zone
by
Amarendra Kishore
Kaimur was once upon a time known for its
peace and poverty. The schemes made for development of this area
frequently went into the cobweb of corruption. In the late 70s, the
dacoits or social rebels began to get shelter here and sued to move and
rule. The story started with Mohan Bind, whose reign was similar to the
themes of super hit Bollywood film entitled Dakait, a big super
hit by Rahul Rawel. For two decades, when the government was busy to
root out these criminals, the Maoists went from strength to strength in
the Kaimur hills, till such time when they could declare the entire
terrain a liberated zone. They have elephantine foothold among the most
deprived population of Indian sub-continent, i.e. the tribals. A report
from challenging terrain of Kaimur hills of Vindhya Range.
Karamtaria, A Tribal Hamlet in Kaimur Hills of
Rohtas, Bihar
Naxalism is really a law and order problem. The Government of India is
addressing the menace simultaneously on political, security, development
and public perception management fronts in a holistic manner. Prime
Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has called it the biggest internal threat,
yet there is no clarity about tackling the danger. So, lack of
coordination and cohesion between the police and district administration
is also a major issue.
“Intensively dense with heavy undergrowth, comprising hills as well as
plains in both Rohtas and Kaimur districts, where Kaimur existed, the
forest has been the abode of the most backward and improvised tribes of
this holtscape, who are now the feeders for the movement,” says Prabhat
Pandey, a journalist, who hails from Bandu village of district Rohtas.
Considering that its remoteness ensured that the organs of government
machinery remained at the periphery, the forest has been a haven for the
Naxals to flourish and expand there area of operation interrupted.
For two decades, when the government was
busy to root out these criminals, the Maoists went from strength to
strength in the Kaimur hills, till such time when they could declare the
entire terrain a liberated zone. “Since there is no police in the area,
once the police enter the area, it will become a war zone like Bastar
district of Chhattisgarh. On a policeman’s map of Rohtas and Kaimur
hills stands out as a black mark with this fact that there is no police
station in this terrain,” Prabhat ends with this information. “The
police are depleted, demoralized, untrained and ill equipped. The early
encounters with the Maoists, in which the police suffered huge
casualties, did nothing to uplift the flagging morals,” Devendra Kumar,
a advocate of Sasaram cocks.
“The saga of Kaimur is enveloped in pain and pangs. What is being
propagated by the Naxals the crude but hard facts about the
non-existence of market, Public Distribution System (PDS), electricity,
dispensary, Primary Health Centre (PHC) and even primary school for
girls. The Kaimur hills has only one things that is Morem road
that is made specially for carrying Kendu leaves by trucks during summer
days, otherwise from mid-June to the advent of September, the road is
not used due to rains”, Dr. Devendra Nath Sinha of Sasaram says.
“Chronic drought, rampant poverty, rapid globalization and corruption
are becoming the villains in the lives of local tribal communities. The
huge population is barely depends on cultivation, food gathering, animal
husbandry and Kendu leaves collection during scorching summer days”, he
concludes. They cannot achieve food security. “The lack of employment
and huge hiatus between public and government, the tribals are bound to
join the groups. “We know, the Hakim (officer) never visits our
place. The Naxals frequently come to us, participate in our festivals,
marriage ceremony and listen our agony. They repeatedly organize
Janata Adalat once in a month and provide justice and
relief. Now, nobody can dare to grab our property… our home and hearth
is safe… we are safe… specially our sisters and daughters are well
protected by the Naxals,” Ramji Oraon of Chandodih informs.
There is no law and order in Kaimur. Recalls Siddhnath Pathak, a retired
teacher, who spent one third of his service in different residential
schools of Kaimur, “The tribals were governed by the so-called upper
castes of plain areas. They were timber traders and also big exploiters
of tribal girls. Once it was believed great honor for any tribal baby to
have sexual relation with any outsiders, which converted this entire
land a big red light area. Severe exploitation, human degradation,
sexual harassment are the order of the day in the age of Panchayati
Raj”. The present picture itself says the motive of grassroot
bureaucrats and even national leaders like Jagjeevan Ram, who were
elected parliamentarian all along his life but fate of Kaimurites
remained unchanged. “The pace of development is painful slow in Kaimur
hills. So, dacoits and then Naxals captured the entire terrain to run
parallel government,” says Bashishth Kumar Singh, a Sasaram based
lawyer.
“Through Sarkar apke dwar (Government at your doorsteps)
program, the government envisages to bring development to the people,
particularly to the underprivileged section of the society, we have
great hope,” reports District Magistrate of Rohtas. The government is
intended to do rehabilitation and to make income generation, so that
they can be put on the mainstream of nation but what’s the blue print in
the psyche of district administration in the context of Kaimur, the DM
has no answer. “We guess Sarkar apke dwar will take at least
one decade to reach at the doorstep of Kaimurites because senior
officers like DM Rohtas, never imagined in this particular aspect.
“We have problems and we have to think for that area… at present we are
undertaking this program in the foothills of Kaimur. The initiative is
successful. Once I would love to visit Kaimur,” he vows. Yes, once
Kaimur was adventurer’s paradise and best picnic spot in old Shahabad
district but right now the life of Kaimur is imbued in red color and
undoubtedly it is drooling and dribbling in red fever.
September 13, 2009
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