Villagers in Jharkhand bear the brunt of Maoists' internecine fights

Residents of Kauria village in Palamu district of Jharkhand are facing a social boycott, after two Maoist rebel groups fought pitched battles last August.

Kauria villagers are being ostracised by the neighbouring villages on suspicion of sheltering Maoist rebels, a charge they vehemently deny.

Villagers claim that it is hard to find suitors and brides for the youth as nobody is willing to maintain relations with them.

An encounter between two Maoist outfits-Communist Party of India (Maoist) (CPI-M) and its splinter group Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) -- left 16 people dead.

A resident, Shalini Kumari, said on Wednesday their village is being taunted as a "village of terrorists".

 

"That incident has impacted our lives very deeply. It is very difficult to get the girls and boys from this village married. Nobody wants to take a daughter from this village or send their daughter here. They say it is a village of terrorists and we will not marry our children there as there is nothing in this village," said Kumari.

The village also lacks basic necessary infrastructure like schools etc, she added.

The fiercest encounter happened when CPI (M) members attacked TPC members resting at a villager's house. The attack was in retaliation to a previous incident when CPI (M) activists were attacked by TPC.

Another resident, Vinod Saav, said that fear kept people away from Kauria.

"A lot of people are scared to come here as this area falls on the Maoist belt. People from outside the village are now always scared of coming here," said Saav.

Residents of Kauria live in a perpetual fear that there may be a repeat of what happened last year. They feel that the police have been lax in conducting patrolling in the area and have not come to check on the people ever since the encounter took place.