Malkangiri: There was a time when this gun-wielding ‘revolutionary’ took part in many incidents of violence in three states and carried a bounty of Rs 4 lakh on his head. A Maoist for 25 years, Sukdeb is now a successful farmer.
The regret of killing the people of his own community forced him to lay down arms in July, 2016. Since then, there has been no looking back for this former left wing extremist, whose focus on developmental works has become an example of sorts.
Sukdeb has motivated some top Maoist cadres to shun the path of violence and join the mainstream.
“As I belonged to a family of framers, I decided to cultivate paddy in 15 acres of land on share-cropping. This has given me immense pleasure,” Sukdeb said, adding he regrets the 25 years he spent as a rebel.
Sukdeb’s father Singa Kabasi, a resident of Tekguda under Kalimela block in Malkangiri district, had enrolled his son in Padia Sevashram School, 40 km away from the village.
However, Singa died when Sukdeb was in first year of school. Sukdeb returned to his village and continued education in the village school, besides helping his mother in farming.
Meanwhile, Maoists started providing arms training to the youths of the village. Sukdeb happened to come in contact with them and subsequently joined their fold.
The ultras gradually made their presence felt in Kalimela, Chitakonda, Padia, Mathili, and border areas of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.
Sukdeb went on to lead a group of rebels that was involved in many violent activities in the three states. Odisha police had declared a bounty of Rs 4 lakh on Sukdeb’s head.
Since the day he joined the Maoists, he was worried about the development of tribals. Despite being a member of a banned outfit, he with the help of villagers, had built check dams to provide drinking water to residents of Maseguda, Sana Tekguda, Bada Tekguda, Kanaguda, Marigeta and Kurub during 2007-2010. He had also made arrangements for education of local children of Tekguda and Marigeta.
Apart from this, Sukdeb was involved in many developmental works, including the construction of a 4-km long road inside a jungle from Marigeta to Badigeta and laying of a road at Papulurur Ghat. He also initiated the construction of ponds at Papulurur, Kapatudi and Koreia Guda with the help of the sarpanch.
During this period, he fell in love with top Maoist carder Rukmani. The couple tied the nuptial knot at Tekguda in the presence of hundreds of villagers and ultras. However, soon they became disillusioned with the Maoist ideology and the regret of the harm they had caused to their own people forced them to surrender before police July 22, 2016.
Sukdeb also motivated female cadres, Radha, Namita, Manila, Surya and Malati, and male cadres Raghu and Deba to surrender before the police. At present, the families of the seven former Maoists are residing at the district headquarters.
However, the families are yet to get the rehabilitation money from the state government, said Sukdeb.
Though the government has given them land, it is yet to give them money for house construction, he added.
If the elected representatives start working collectively for the development of tribal communities, no one will join the extremists, Sukdeb opined.
Now, it is not possible for him to move openly to create awareness and share developmental messages as he has left the Maoist camp, he said.
Sukdeb urged the Maoists to lay down arms and return to the mainstream.
PNN
