Anjali Avhad, 11th June 2021
When we live in a family, some unwritten rights come to us automatically. I think the same can be said about a country, which is a big family. Just as a member of a family rebels in various ways because of the lack of equal and just treatment, so it can be about a country. If certain people are kept away from their basic rights, it is very natural for that person to get alienated from that country and in such cases they will go to any level in the fight for their rights. The same is true of the Naxalite movement. The movement is still raging in the forests bordering Gadchiroli, Chandrapur and Chhattisgarh, miles away from major cities and amenities. According to the famous local story, some people gathered in the village of Naxalbadi to revolt against the moneylenders and landlords and the injustice done by them. As they were gathered in Naxalbadi, they started to be known as Naxalites. These people took up arms to protect their rights and they are still fighting in the dense jungles. I had the opportunity to interact with people who had once been associated with the movement and understood its various aspects. These people are not active in the movement today, they have surrendered and today they are living a new life with their families. In the meantime, I tried to find out the reasons why in a democracy, people take up arms and wage an armed struggle against the system and the people in their own country. Shantabai Deendayal Baghela, a woman living in a small village near Kondagaon inChhattisgarh, came out of the Naxalite movement and surrendered to the police.
I had the opportunity to interact with Shantibai who was associated with the Naxalites and who had witnessed it closely, before surrendering and starting a new life after learning some unpleasant truths of the movement. Despite repeated complaints, the system did not allow her to enjoy her rights related to education, housing, health facilities and food, and so Shantibai joined the Naxalite movement only to assert her rights. It is true that Shantibai joined the Naxalite movement with the expectations that they would help her attain her rights, but here too she had to face the bitter truth and in the end she was disappointed. In the midst of despair, she used her discretion to surrender to the police. As she surrendered, Shantibai was assisted by the police and given due treatment. Coming out of the Naxalite movement, Shantibai got a new hope of survival and the surrender also gave her a new chance to live a normal life. Today Shantibai is living a normal life with her family and is slowly trying to trust the justice system. Many people like Shantibai fall prey to such agitations for their rights and for the government's lax administration and injustice. These people had only their rights and injustice in their heads and these two things are the capital of such a movement. The expectations of the innocent and oppressed people who come to this movement are sidelined. It is a shame for a democratic country that so many people like Shantibai take up arms for their rights, but it is equally important for the government to introspect. Special efforts need to be made by the local administration to address the issues at the local level. And it is imperative that the government strives to understand that the expectation of these people is not car, bungalow and luxury but basic rights and human rights. It is important for the government to understand that if a person is treated like a human being, no one will get hurt and take up arms. If you look at history, many social movements started with a purpose that changed over time. The Naxalite movement started as a war for liberation from the snare of moneylenders, but is today mired in various allegations. Some people are really fighting for their rights while some people are politically motivated. Some people are fighting for their own personal gain by taking advantage of the feelings of naive and uneducated people, while some people are just fighting the battle of domination by the state. In these power games, police personnel and innocent civilians are living a frightening life and many have lost their lives. Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on whatsapp WhatsApp