“Being Neutral is Our Biggest Crime” - Global Coalition to Protect ...

When Veka Idma was about age 12 or 13, he joined a jan militia group. When he was
in class five, a Naxalite range committee member inducted him into the group. 468 He
was told he could continue schooling. His training began with physical exercise to
build stamina. Then he was taught to fight with sticks and eventually he learned how
to use and clean rifles. He also learned how to make bombs. When he went with the
jan militia group he had “tiffin bombs [bombs packed in tiffin boxes] and wire
bombs.” He also learned how to use AK-47 and Insas rifles. Veka Idma said, “There
were 25 people in my jan militia—seven others were about my age and younger.” 469
Naxalites asked Vattam Fanu to quit school and join a dalam. He refused saying that
he wanted to study. This upset Naxalite commanders who visited his family every
day and asked him to sign up. Eventually, at age 16, frightened that he would not be
able to escape Naxalites, he ran away to a town nearby: 470
They [Naxalites] came to the village and asked all young men and
women, as well as teenage boys and girls to join them. They first told
us to attend a meeting. They sang songs and made speeches. Then
they started writing down names of boys and girls and told them to
come to the jungle to learn to fight. I went as well. They were training
people in the use of sharp, pointed sticks. They told me I must join a
dalam. I refused and told them that I wanted to study. They were angry.
They started coming to our house every few days. This went on for
three or four years. Then they started becoming much more insistent,
saying that I had studied enough. Finally, I was forced to run away. For
a long time I lived in the forest, sleeping in trees to be safe. My mother
would come in the middle of the night to feed me.” 471
When Himmatlal Korbe was in class six (around age 16 or 17), Naxalites went to his
house and asked his parents to send him with them. His parents told them that they
468 Naxalite committees follow the following hierarchy—National or central, state or zonal, division, range, and village
committees.
469 Human Rights Watch interview with Veka Idma (pseudonym).
470 Human Rights Watch interview with Vattam Fanu (pseudonym), SPO, other details withheld.
471 Ibid.
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