"When All this Ends, I'll Go Back Home"

Aishwarya Bodke and Terrence Manne, June 11th 2021 Safety is still a concern for the surviving victims of Naxal violence. Constant torment in Lakhapuri, Chhattisgarh had driven Ajobati out of her village, away from the insecurity caused by the Naxal rebellion. Now displaced in Kondagaon, the perils of being caught between the Naxals and the police still exist. “We don’t feel safe here as well. Recently a few DRG officers were killed. They killed the Sarpanch as well. These violent encounters always end in death — either of the Naxals or the police”. A few of Ajobati’s family members still live in Lakhapuri, where they constantly have to lie about not knowing of her whereabouts for her safety. The Naxals had forced Ajobati and many like her to flee from Lakhapuri, accusing them of liaising with the police. “The Naxals do not live in the village. They come from other states such as Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. They threaten us and take food and grains and money from us and leave. But when they are escaping, they are often caught in a debacle with the police and many of them get killed. And somehow, we are blamed by both sides because we gave them the grains.” None of the schemes for the Naxal victims have been actualized, says Ajobati, coming only in the form of token assurances of relief. This bleakness is compounded by the inadequate infrastructure in Kondagaon - healthcare facilities and schools remain largely unmanned due to fear of Naxal aggression. The lack of infrastructure puts online education out of the picture, and in schools where online classes are conducted, student assessment has been stalled owing to logistical problems. Ajobati makes her living through a few odd jobs that exist within an oversupplied job market in Kondagaon. “Some months I will work in a shop, some days I will work with the istri wala. If they give us proper jobs, we’ll be able to have much better lives and at least not worry about rent and food.” Ajobati hopes to head back home to Lakhapuri in the future, though the danger of being killed by the Naxals keeps her in Kondagaon indefinitely. “I can’t say that we are happy here in Kondagaon, but if we go back to the village, we’ll be killed. I don’t know when the end of this comes. When all this ends, I’ll go back home.”  Share on facebook Facebook Share on twitter Twitter Share on whatsapp WhatsApp