Kavasi Joga’s father killed after his surrender to the police

By Paarth Pande, 11^th June 2021 Surrendering from the Naxal movement has consequences. So, things for Kavasi Joga weren’t very different when he was given the usual ultimatum: Leave the village without your belongings and don’t come back. This has become a trend for people who surrender. What was different was what happened next.   “I never thought the work (with the naxals) was right and I did not like it at all. They would make me do dangerous things and for that they were giving me almost nothing. That is why I ran and came here to Dantewada. Here I had a meeting with the policemen and decided to surrender,” said Joga. It was June of 2020 when Joga took the decision to surrender. However, almost a year, later rebuilding his life has not been easy. For one, the security threat still looms large. “My father was killed, shot dead, just two days ago. I am just coming back after retrieving the body and completing the funeral process,” said a heartbroken Joga in an interview in late January. The police are trying to protect him and his family, but it clearly hasn’t been successful enough. Joga was given Rs 5,000 after the death of his father.  Since leaving the movement, Kavasi Joga has been trying to start a new chapter in his life. He received a sum of Rs 1,000 for surrendering and an additional Rs 15,000 for giving his weapon to the government, along with a job offer. “Life has improved since leaving the Naxal movement. They did give me some money and even gave a job in the police. For work they send us to very far places,” he says. He is currently living with his mother, who takes care of their home, while he is off to work in faraway areas. Kavasi Joga is amongst the several who want the violence in the region to stop. He believes that the violence is not good and that this standoff has not produced any victors but instead only created thousands of victims.   Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on whatsapp WhatsApp