In Naxal heartland, this couple quit the 'red' movement

Vani: As we leave the bustling city of Nagpur and enter the thick forest cover of Gadchiroli, the woods entail a story to tell - of its people and their dilemma to be or not be a part of the naxal movement.

Gadchiroli is also called the red belt of Maharashtra which has seen bloody battles between the Maoists and the police on a day-to-day basis.

30 kilometers away from Gadchiroli, we travel to Vani, home to one of the richest coal fields in the country. Here we meet Akash and Sarita, a surrendered naxal couple who left the movement in 2008.

"They used to come to our village, perform skits. Educate us about the oppression done to women. This interested me and I joined them," Sarita narrates her tale while rocking her 2-year-old daughter Ananaya to sleep.

"Life in the forests is tough. There is nothing to eat; there is always this fear of being killed. We used to live in makeshift tents exposed to the wild animals in the night. After a while I couldn't take the physical hardship the movement demands and decided to give up," she adds.

Advertisement

Akash is busy watching Bollywood heartthrob Salman Khan knocking down a few goons without even suffering a slight scratch. Though he knows life isn't really that easy.

"Initially you are attracted by the guns but later you realise that you cannot fight the might of the state and therefore I decided to surrender. I was getting weak physically and I wanted to give a good future to my wife," he says.

Advertisement

After surrendering, the government awarded the couple Rs.2 lakhs. Akash opened a paan shop, while Sarita, who once handled a 0.12 bore pistol now manages her household.

"We are scared for our life. Once you surrender you are on their hit list," says Akash, adding, "We know our lives will never be normal. We cannot live one but we will try to keep our daughter away from the Naxals. For us that will mean that our life's worth."

Advertisement

Ravi Kadam, Deputy Inspector General, anti -naxal operations, said, "We are trying to ensure that they live a normal life. It is a little difficult but not impossible .We have some good policies that will help in ensuring that the surrendered naxals live a good life and that sets a precedent for others to follow."