State: Maoists on Children Recruitment Hunt?

Maoists on Children Recruitment Hunt?

Disturbing news are pouring from two of Jharkhand’s district; Gumla and Lohardaga where banned CPI (Maoist) has forced parents to send their children to be inducted in Left Wing ultras’ Bal Dalam.
Fearing a backlash parents mostly tribal and poor have kept a frustrating freeze of their tongue and deny that they have send their children to Maoists camps. But intelligence reports of Jharkhand Police confirm about 40 children have been taken away by Maoists.

This week Maoists killed five such people in Gumla and Lohardaga after they turned-down Maoists’ farman. At least two such parents — Chhatrapal Oraon and Laldhar Oraon— have been identified who were mercilessly butchered by Maoists after they dared defiance to Maoists. Intelligence reports confirm that some parents seeking life for their children agreed to join Left Wing organisation.
“We have identified such children and security operations are going on for their safe release. But parents under fear are not ready to speak. Now we are going to serve them notice to physically present their children before police in a week time else we will interrogate them. It seems that they were taken for guerilla training,” South Chhotanagpur DIG, Praveen Kumar Singh said.
Maoists have even sent letters to school authorities and pasted posters on the schools walls to seek at least 10 children from each school. In one such case scared by Maoists’ diktat parents withdrew their children from the hostel for primitive tribal children. Barely a couple of days back; Maoists had threatened teachers and principal of a government school at Jobhipat in Bisunpur (Gumla) with dire consequences if they fail to supply children to them.
If sources are to be believed Maoists even conducted a parade of school children as part of recruitment drive. ”We have concrete information that CPI (Maoist) commander Nakul Yadav is forcing people for their children. In the last couple of years security forces have badly hit Maoists and their network. Yadav wants to regroup his base by forming an army. Maoists use children as a human shield against any police operation children are forced to carry weapons,” as senior police official from Gumla informed.
So far, security operations for safe release of children have not been encouraging as police could secure release of only two children. Bhaga Oraon (12) of village Jari and Deeplal Kherwar (12) of village Gobarsilli of Gumla district could be released.
Intelligence sources said Maoists are forcing people in Latehar district also where a dozen adolescents were kidnapped and recruited in the Left Wing organisations. “As rural youths are refusing to buy Maoist ideology and even young Maoist cadres are surrendering before police to join mainstream of society; desperate Maoists are now targeting children,” said Jharkhand police DGP, Rajeev Kumar.
—Abha Bharti from Ranchi

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