Hyderabad: As security forces intensify operations to dismantle Maoist strongholds in Chhattisgarh, surrendered Naxal cadres in Telangana claim they have been left in the lurch by the government. After years of operating in secrecy and facing life-threatening encounters, these ex-insurgents hoped for a fresh start. However, they say that the promised rehabilitation support, especially agricultural land, has yet to materialize.
Many of these former cadres, like Saralamma (name changed), a former CPI (Maoist) divisional committee member, left the underground movement in the hope of a stable future.
Saralamma, who surrendered in 2021 after 27 years of insurgency, had expected support to transition to farming. Yet, three years later, she has become an agricultural laborer, frustrated by repeated visits to Mahabubabad district officials seeking a residential plot and an acre of land. Having lost an eye in a confrontation with security forces, Saralamma says her appeals for basic assistance, including a widow’s pension, have been met with bureaucratic roadblocks.
“They asked for a death certificate for my husband, a Maoist central committee member who died in Chhattisgarh due to COVID-19. How can I produce a certificate for someone who died in hiding?” Saralamma asks.
The plight of surrendered cadres highlights the challenges in integrating former rebels back into society and the urgent need for more accessible rehabilitation programs.
