Govt incentives elusive for surrendered Maoists

​Nizamabad: Lured by the State government with incentives, over 1,100 Maoists surrendered to the police in the district in 1990 to join the national mainstream. But, the incentives are still elusive even almost 27 years after their surrender. The government lured the naxalites with offers of providing five acres of land, a site to build homes and provide opportunities to eke out their livelihood.

Speaking to the Hans India here on Wednesday, some of the naxalites who surrendered said they suffered torture at the hands of the police. All these years, they approached many political leaders and officials.

They met Nizamabad MP Kavita, MLAs and others to remind them of the delay in sanctioning the incentives but to no avail, they lamented. They said that nobody was coming forward to give them work as they feared the former naxalites.

Their family members are working on daily wages to support the families. Moreover, they were not in a position to perform marriages of their children because of lack of financial resources, they bemoaned.

They said they joined the TRS in 2003-04 to get lands from the government and played a crucial role in the movement for Statehood for Telangana. Further, they alleged that some others in spite of having no links whatsoever with the People’s War Group byvirtue of their proximity to top police officials managed to secure incentives.

One of the surrendred naxalites, Banjara Reddy said that they claimed that they cleaned lorry tyres and mobilised funds for the Telangana Bhavan. He said that he and other comrades were beaten black and blue by the police during the initial days of their surrender.

Another naxalite Feroze Khan said that they were given autorickshaws, which the naxalites had torched. “When we had surrendered, our homes were brought down by the naxalites. They thrashed our parents severely,” he said. The promised five-acre land, plot to build homes and pension still remained a promise, they lamented.

Over 50 former naxalites in Kamareddy and Nizamabad came to The Hans India office and poured out their tale of woe. The surrendered include former Dalam commanders Banjara Reddy and Feroz0065 Khan and dalam members Alakunta Ramulu, Chander, Puraji, Vithal, Ramulu, Dharmayya, Tajoddin, Vadla Sankar, Shaik Ahmed, Shaik Chand and so on. Some of the naxalites belonged to Varni, Nizamabad, Dichpally, Banswada and Yellareddy mandals.

On Monday, they called on District Collector Dr Yogitha Rana during Praja Vani programme and narrated their list of woes to him. According to one of the naxalites, Hymad, nobody came forward to hire them as workers. The society branded them as criminals and thieves.

He said that their women folk and children were also engaged in hard labour to feed the families. At least now, the State government should come forward to give them the incentives promised at the time of their surrender.