The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Rehabilitation of naxals beset with problems

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 17, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Rehabilitation of naxals beset with problems

By Our Special Correspondent

ONGOLE, DEC 16. Naxalites, who have surrendered to the police, find to their chagrin that rehabilitation is beset with many problems due to red-tapism.

Kola Bhaskar (40) of Diguvametta village in Giddalur mandal had worked as dalam member for two years and was allegedly involved in a murder case and five other cases of attempt to murder.

He said that the eight-member dalam used to visit villages and campaign for prohibition and wage hike.

He said he could not put up with the hard life as he suffered from asthma. Also, as his children suffered for want of support, he decided to desert the dalam and surrendered to the police nearly two years ago.

After spending 14 months in jail, he came out three months ago. He has been waiting for rehabilitation since then. It is stated that the Special Intelligence branch submits the list of surrendered naxalites to the Government every year to take up their rehabilitation.

As the list was submitted one month before his surrender, his name was not on the list. It has not yet submitted the lists for the subsequent years.

Financial assistance

So it became difficult to rehabilitate him. Following a representation from the police, the district Collector, B. Udaya Lakshmi, agreed to provide him some financial assistance to run a petty shop as desired by him.

Gummalla China Venkateswarlu, alias Sagar, joined the extremists and went on to become a dalam commander.

His wife, Adi Lakshmi, who found it difficult to bring up the children, went to live with him.

But within one week of her joining the dalam, Sagar was killed in an encounter by the police at Chintala Mudipi. She saw no point in continuing in the dalam after her husband`s death and surrendered to the police.

All she got till now was Rs. 5,000 from the Government. She is running from pillar to post seeking assistance to rehabilitate herself and take care of her children but in vain.

Police counselling

The police have assembled parents of 12 naxalites for counselling and persuade them to wean away their children from extremism.

But they found to their dismay that the parents were also helpless. The exercise, however, provided insights into why the youth were joining the naxalites.

Guravamma said that her daughter, Baji (18), joined the CPI(Maoists) because she was vexed with her married life. She admitted that they had forced her daughter to marry her maternal uncle. As she deserted him, they got her married to another person, not knowing that he was suffering from fits. Baji became angry with her parents for ruining her life and so decided to join the extremists.

Guravamma`s family has no contact with Baji now and it is not in a position to influence her thinking. Guruvamma has been eking out her livelihood cooking mid-day meals in a primary school in Thammadapalli village of Yerragondapalem mandal. During the counselling programme, she dealt more on the problems faced by schoolchildren for want of proper accommodation.

She said that she had to cook meals along a drain under unhygienic conditions and requested the Collector, B. Udaya Lakshmi, to provide at least one room in the school. Touched by her concern for the children, the Collector readily agreed to sanction two rooms for the school.

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