The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Police attempt to outwit Maoists

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jan 03, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Police attempt to outwit Maoists

By S. Harpal Singh

ADILABAD, JAN. 2. Rampant unemployment in the region is a major cause of concern for the Adilabad district police currently, especially with naxalites concentrating their efforts on recruiting new cadre from among the unemployed.

On December 20, 2004, the Communist Party of India (Maoist) naxalites visited Pedda Dampur and Khima Naik Tanda of Loddiguda gram panchayat in Sirpur (U) mandal ostensibly to recruit youth.

The villagers reportedly refused to oblige. Some youth in these villages rejected the Maoists offer on the grounds that the district police had promised them Home Guard jobs. This incident has set the police thinking.

Potential for 200

There are about 4,000 applications for Home Guard posts pending with the Adilabad police. The applicants are mostly unemployed tribal youth who can be the `target group' of naxalites. Some of the 17 surrendered extremist youths during the latter half of 2004 cited unemployment as the main reason for they joining the underground outfit.

The district police have a potential to recruit about 200 youths as Home Guards. The question facing them is what about the rest.

What can be done to accommodate these youngsters or what sort of employment opportunities can be generated for them?

Jobs in armed forces

"We are trying our best to create job opportunities for the youth, especially those who seek jobs like that of a Home Guard. We are currently on the job of training about 200 youths for competing in Army selections," the Superintendent of Police, Kripa Nand Tripathi Ujela, said.

There is higher preference for jobs in the armed forces among youths. Such jobs do not require high educational qualifications, fetch good salaries and above all offer a `macho' image.

The Home Guard job carries a pay packet of Rs. 2,300, which is considered substantial in tribal areas.

The police is currently thinking in terms of creating job opportunities, more so of the `macho' kind.

"We can assist willing private security agencies in `vetting' the candidates willing to work as security guards," Mr. Ujela said.

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