“A Surrendered Naxalite sees Change Coming from the Government, not Revolution”

Aishwarya Bodke and Terrence Manne, June 11th 2021 A surrendered Naxal working for the District Reserve Guard talks about life after a shift in allegiance. "I was pushed into it," says Ram Kavasi, a 21-year-old ex-Naxal from the village of Katekalyan in Dantewada District, Chhattisgarh. Fear had pushed him toward working as a night scouter in the Naxal movement, which he described as having no effect in alleviating the severe poverty or the human security situation he saw around him. “Small school-going children and old people would walk miles barefoot just to be safe, and I didn’t like it even then. Young men like me would make 1-2 rupees per day,” said Kavasi. Change was what he sought, as he spoke about little girls who were displaced from their parents as a result of the rebellion. At a dead-end, Kavasi saw change coming only through working for the government in improving local infrastructure, providing electricity and better roads for his village and strenghtening institutions such as schools and hospitals. Hope, according to him, would have a more fruitful end in bringing citizen grievances before the government rather than indulging in a revolution. Life under the District Reserve Guard force has brought a new perspective, claims Kavasi. "I never trusted the hospital workers and the government officials because I was brainwashed by the Naxals. But now I have understood everything. They told us that the government would take away our land and that we must protect it with our life and blood. This is why people believe them". Kavasi is now a regular attendee of the DRG meetings, working closely with the force in eradicating the Naxal militias. Yet allegiance to the establishment brings its own hardships. Kavasi's family regularly receives threats from the Naxals, as he stays in the DRG accommodation for their safety. The payment he receives from the DRG, which is around two to three thousand rupees, is insufficient to support his family. Since he began working with the police, his younger sister has refused to go to school, due to fear of getting killed. "I try not to be affected by the sorrows. I remain happy because I have chosen the right path". Service towards his community, he says, must take precedence over everything else. "I don't care if I get killed. I will do anything for my village".  Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on whatsapp WhatsApp