Rahul Pandita
Threatened by Kharwar tribals in this district, Yadav Maoists go on a spree of revenge killings
As Maoists turn the heat on CPI cadres in Bastar, the latter find themselves in a double bind
The CPM denies it, but out in the wilderness there is evidence that the party is raising a militia armed to the teeth. “No guns in photos,” were the handlers’ orders to us
Slightly built they may be, but you’d be a fool to take them lightly. Battle-hardened, fiercely committed to their cause and proud of the identity the movement gives them, the woman Maoists here are every bit as fierce as their male comrades.
Some of them haven’t even attained puberty. But Maoists think nothing of brainwashing them to their cause and thrusting guns in their unsuspecting hands, using them to fight armed forces, lay land mines and inform on their kith and kin. This is the story of thousands of lost childhoods.
Should the Army take on the Centre’s battle against Maoists? The Home and Defence ministries are at odds over the question. Here’s the state of the battle within.