K’taka: Six Maoists surrender in CM Siddaramaiah’s presence

Bengaluru, Jan 8 (IANS) Six Maoists have surrendered in presence of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at his home office ‘Krishna’ in Bengaluru on Wednesday, submitting that they will join the society’s mainstream by lying down their arms.

The arms laying down programme took place in the presence of Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara and Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar. Karnataka DGP and other senior officers from the police department were also present.

The Maoists were brought to the CM’s office from Chikkamagaluru. Earlier in the day, they wanted to surrender before the district administration of Chikkamagaluru through the ‘Shantigaage Naagarikara Vedike’ (Citizens Forum for Peace).

However, following the wish of the CM Siddaramaiah to facilitate the process of surrender, they were brought to Bengaluru.

Mundagaru Latha from Mundagaru in Sringeri Vanajakshi from Balehole in Kalasa; Sundari from Kutluru near Mangaluru; Marappa Jayanna Aroli from Raichur; Vasantha T. aka Ramesh from Tamil Nadu, and N. Jeesha from Kerala surrendered in presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

According to sources, Mandagaru Latha, the eldest daughter of a poor tribal family from Sringeri Taluk, dropped out of school in the 6th grade due to poverty and harassment by her teachers. Her family allegedly faced the threat of losing their home under the Kudremukh National Park Project.

Frustrated with the government’s alleged apathetic attitude towards democratic protests, Latha and her family joined the movement resisting the project.

In 2000, at the age of 18, disillusioned with the lack of response to peaceful protests, Latha took up armed resistance.

Since then, she has been part of a guerrilla group operating across Karnataka and Kerala. Over time, she has transitioned back to mainstream activism, becoming a prominent figure in democratic movements once again.

Sources claimed that despite only studying up to the 6th grade, Latha possesses remarkable clarity and commitment when discussing policies and their implications. She was recognized as a leader in the Maoist movement and is actively working towards achieving justice for marginalized communities through democratic means.

Sundari is also a tribal woman who grew up in poverty. She was the sixth among five siblings and had to drop out of school after the 3rd grade due to poverty and the distance of the school from her home.

Her family, too, allegedly faced the threat of losing everything due to the Kudremukh National Park Project. When democratic protests failed to yield results, Sundari, like many other young people at the time, took up arms.

In 2004, at the age of 19, she joined the Maoist party and became part of a guerrilla group operating in Karnataka and Kerala.

She recalls the police raids and atrocities inflicted on her and neighboring families. Sundari claims the memories that still haunt her.

Despite these hardships, Sundari claims that she retained her fighting spirit and now aspires to join the mainstream and contribute to democratic movements to bring about social change.

Vanajakshi, the senior-most member of the group, studied up to SSLC (10th grade). She dropped out of school in 1985 and became actively involved in public life in her village, serving as an unopposed member of the Gram Panchayat in 1992 and 1997.

As the eldest daughter of a large family with eight children, she learned typewriting and supported her family through tailoring.

Despite being politically active, Vanajakshi and her family allegedly couldn’t protect their small piece of land from powerful persons resulting hardships led to her mother’s mental health deterioration and her brother’s suicide.

Sources stated that witnessing similar struggles among other families in her community, Vanajakshi lost faith in the system. Influenced by the armed movements of the time, she decided in 2000 that armed struggle was the only path.

Since then, she has been part of a guerrilla group operating across Karnataka and Kerala.

Jayanna Aaroli, a Dalit youth from Aaroli village in Manvi Taluk of Raichur district, holds a Bachelor’s degree. During his college years, he was attracted by the Maoist movement active in the region at the time. The encounter killing of Bhaskar, a prominent figure in the movement, deeply impacted him, fueling his resolve to join the cause.

As part of the government-announced rehabilitation package, Jayanna has decided to dedicate half of the monetary compensation he is set to receive toward the development of the school in his village, sources stated.

Vasantha, a B.Tech graduate from Arcot in Vellore district, Tamil Nadu, grew up influenced by socially conscious ideologies and movements. Observing various struggles from a young age, he developed a strong inclination toward activism.

After completing his degree in 2010, Vasanth joined the armed struggle and became a member of a guerrilla group operating in Kerala and Karnataka.

Jeesha, an Adivasi woman from Makkimala in Wayanad district, Kerala, is the youngest member of the team.

She studied up to the 8th grade before becoming part of the armed struggle in Kerala in 2018. In 2023, Jeesha moved from Kerala to Karnataka along with other members of the group, sources stated.

–IANS

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