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The Hindu has reported on April 27 while quoting top ranking Maoists sources : “The rebels have intensified attacks on the security forces for the last couple of days against the sexual exploitations of women and young tribal girls in the areas which are under it’s strongholds at Chhattisgarh. Sukma’s recent attack in which 25 CRPF personnel lost their lives was a reminder to the security forces for such unethical acts, claimed rebel sources”.

Apart from losing lands, mines, forests etc in the hands of corporate houses and big industry, the tribals along with the natives of inaccessible parts of Chhattisgarh now have  started facing big challenges  to save their female genders in the hands of security forces or such elements who have the privilege to enjoy governments’ support there.

Though the situation at the rebels’ strongholds in eastern Bihar districts differs to some extent from the above-mentioned Chhattisgarh. Today we are giving how the female genders who have joined in the rebels camp, have to act there, what was their feelings and the reason for their taking such ventures :-

How to walk safely in Maoists home turf ?

“ How safe are the female genders- even inside rebels’ camps?”

Jamui/ Munger : Reena Devi (32) of Hadhadiya village under Lakshmipur block in Jamui some twelve years back was a happy house wife with her husband, Ghutar Pandit and three children.

On June 2003, her relatives allegedly captured the cultivated filed of her husband and the family was disturbed. Her husband ran every where right from higher officials at Jamui to Lakshmipur block. He was reportedly even beaten at Lakshmipur police station after his rivals managed police.

Reena Devi finally approached the local CPI(Maoists) for justice. One Pramila Devi of Panchkhura village in neighbouring Lakhisari district was settled the family dispute with a group of armed Maoists. Reena Devi however did not return back to her village since that.

She became a terror in the district and started staying with the area commander of CPI(Maoist) Suniljee. Jamui police on February 8 2008 arrested both Sunil and Reena . They were wanted by the police in connection of several sensational incidents like in the killing of Munger superintendent of police, K C Surederbabu inside Bhimbandh forest covers at Munger.

The story of Manti Kumari, innocent looking 17 year-old girl hailing from Jorpaniya hamlet located outskirt of Jhajha township was quite interesting.

She was nabbed by the security personnel from Jhajha railway station platform soon after the April 13, 2008 incident in which hundreds of Maoists including a sizable number of women activists raided GRP station. Top ranking police sources that time confirmed the presence of large women Maoists during the operation at Jhajha GRP station.

Tight security in the most inaccessible parts!

Police sources claimed that Manti from a poor family background joined with the ultras just to arrange foods for her family. Intelligence report also revealed that large number of female in between the age group of 15-34  hailing from poverty ravaged rural pockets in the entire region, who earlier joined to the Maoist’s battalions, latter became hardcore attackers.

Some doctors in this region admitted that early in many occasions they had the opportunity to give medical treatment to many girls from the Maoists’ camp who sustained injury during police operations. One reputed doctor at Jhajha (Jamui) who do not want to disclose identity recalled such one incident. “I was  surprised to witness boldness of the girl hardly in 24-26 year-old when she entered inside my chamber in wounded condition.  She was bleeding profusely as she received a police bullet on her right arm. Showing me a loaded revolver, she ordered me to operate her arm to remove the bullet. She further threatened me not to call a police because her armed- friends were watching me from outside,” the doctor recalled.

“I was operating the arms of the girl who hails from a remote hinterland at Banka. She did not allow me to apply any anesthetic before the operation on apprehension of sudden arrival of police. I was virtually puzzled  to witness her as she did not had any expression or  any sight of pain on her face due to the injury. She did not disturb me even when I was busy in stitching her wound after the operation. I have seen many people started crying even taking an injection. But soon I started showing my sympathy with her and softly asked  about her family and her husband and children, she all of sudden basted into tears and started weeping like a 7-year old girl,” the doctor recalled.

Combing operation inside deep woods at Munger.

During the infamous Kodasi valley carnage at Kajara in Lakhisarai district on August 2010, girls carders in rebels’ camp perhaps for the first time had shown extraordinary service of humanity. “We became captive in side Kodasi valley, our friends were killed and our arms were looted. I was lying in a pool of bloods, some girls came to me, administrated injection for controlling the flow of bloods. They than provide me a glass of warm water and even help me to climb to the hills so that I could reach to the Hunumanthan,” was a statement of a constable of Lakhisaria police who luckily managed to came out safely from the valley on the late evening of August 29 2010. Other cops had the similar version for the girls carders in the organization.

“Like me many ill-fated girls who have no other option rather to join us, however proved to be lucky for the organization,” Renna Devi confessed before the police. police records also echoed Reena Devi and said that rural women in the region have to face rampant poverty, sexual harassments, gender indiscrimination badly. “We interrogated several hardcore women naxalites and observed  how they were in deep frustration and also wanted to take revenge from the society,” said a top ranking police official on condition of anonymity.

A top ranking CRPF official recalled the confessional statement of noted rebel leader, Sahadev Soren alias Prabesh Da after his arresting in Giridhi in Jharkahand, bordering with Jamui. “He during interrogation disclosed that he witnessed the outraging of the modesty of his mother in the hands of some upper cast feudal landlords when he was just 10 year-old. He also confessed that for taking revenge, he joined with the rebels at the age of 17 and killed all the persons involved in that heinous act,” the officer recalled. Prabesh Da now the zonal commander of the CPI (Maoists), becomes a terror in eastern Bihar areas.

“Tradition has it that front line operation is the preserve of male youngsters, but the Maoists have replaced the concept at eastern Bihar districts along with some parts of Jharkhand. Young girls and women carders of the outfit organization occupied their position in the front lines to doze the security personnel in dozens of sensational incidents,” said Minoty Chakarvorty, a retired headmistress of government girl school in Jamui.

“Experts may define it in other terms but what I observed here was that the Maoists managed to organize such destitute women. Once woman joins with the outfits she never has the opportunity to return back to her family. Its’ just like the story of a sex worker trapped in a brothel; she has to spend her rest parts of life inside it,” Chakarvorty explained.

Earlier the statements of Sabita Murmu, a member of special armed squad, Geeta Murmu (sister of noted Maoists leader, Birbal Murmu) and many who were arrested by Jamui police, disclosed their pitiable conditions inside the rebels camp. “In some special occasion female carder like me was assigned for operation otherwise our main work was to collect rations, prepare foods and cleaning the utensils besides handover our bodies to the male carders for their pleasures and entertainments,” Sabita’s statement in police records underline the conditions of poor female genders not only in the society here but also inside rebels’ camps.

Many block level government staffs disclosed that the Maoists also established self help groups (SHG) in the villages here with the motto of organizing the rural women. “However, they never shown any odd feelings for us when we visited the villages for many government sponsored projects like pulse polio drive etc,” many Anganwari Seveikas confirmed.

Despite same ratio, females in E Bihar’s hinterlands still becoming victims.

“Gone those days; you even in your wildest dream do not imagine   that the innocent looking rural girl or poor looking village woman sitting next to you either on a bus or a train is a hardcore Maoists. She doesn’t mind to chop your head within a while,” said a top ranking state intelligence officer on condition of anonymity.

CPI (Maoists) that triggered off dozens of sensational incident earlier in this region  like looting of weapons from the police after raiding on Simultala police station and railway stations, looting of police arms in Kajra railway station, looting of arms and killing cops in two occasions in neighbouring Banka districts, looting of police arms and killing one cops on a running train and in the incident of looting of RPF’s arms while killing two RPF personnel on a running train near Narganjo and even near Jamalpur station some three  year back, women squared was in the forefront.

“All the women who attacked RFP’s escort party were common village women. We noticed them earlier too. But we were surprised to witness their acts,” was the statement of some  vendors who were witnessed the incidents inside the trains. The vendors who traveled on the trains on Kiul-Asansol main section of eastern railways claimed to have identified many women in the group.

“Though due to active policing and opening of CRPF camps many places at this region, there is a drastically footfalls in the Maoists menaces here in this region. But a sizable number of female genders are still venturing with the rebels in the areas especially in inaccessible parts of this region,” claimed a top ranking intelligence source.

(to be concluded)