A Former Maoist is Caught Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Sasha Shinde, 11th June 2021 Pritam Kelahami (name changed) gave about ten years of his life to the Maoists. Being forced to give up his prime years to help people whose ideology he did not completely understand doesn’t seem to have dampened his spirit completely as he talks about his past and present with as much candour as a patchy mobile network connection and language barriers on both sides of the conversation can allow. He joined the Maoists in 2010, and was part of platoon number 24. Kelahami’s duties within the platoon seem unclear, but whatever they were, they led to the government placing a reward of Rs 2 lakh on his head. He wasn’t always convinced about what he was doing for them either; anything that made you go against the people in your village, he says, could not be right. Kehalami surrendered in July, 2020, and as of the time of the last interview, resides in the Dantewada colony, along with other persons who surrendered. He works with the police now, his work often taking him to places that either have no cellular network, or frown on the usage of a phone. When prodded about his financial condition, Kehalami doesn’t say much, but it becomes apparent that taking on a job with the police has not improved his livelihood by much, or even at all. He speaks about his family and home with a certain amount of wistfulness that only someone who has been away from them for a long while can. He does not broach the topic on his own, and is unwilling to share too much information about them, citing safety as a reason for doing so. Kehalami seems content enough with his current job and residence till he is asked about whether he has ever interacted with anyone from his days with the Maoists. Here he repeats his slightly cryptic statement again, “Fighting family, from either side, does not seem right.”  Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on whatsapp WhatsApp