Decked up in traditional attire, with hairpins adorning her head, rings on all 10 fingers, and colourful beads around her neck, Minjali Sikaka from the Dongria Kondh tribe in the secluded village of Lakhpadar, nestled within Odisha’s Niyamgiri Hill Range, appeared as though she was ready to grace a social gathering.
In Lakhpadar, where 32 families reside, she was not the sole inhabitant facing such allegations. Seven other villagers have faced such charges of alleged ties with the outlawed CPI (Maoist) over the past 15 to 20 years. Two of these individuals from Lakhpadar have since passed away
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Decked up in traditional attire, with hairpins adorning her head, rings on all 10 fingers, and colourful beads around her neck, Minjali Sikaka from the Dongria Kondh tribe in the secluded village of Lakhpadar, nestled within Odisha’s Niyamgiri Hill Range, appeared as though she was ready to grace a social gathering.
However, beneath the facade of her attire lies a truth untold — she was purportedly persuaded into surrendering as an active cadre of the banned CPI (Maoist), with the promise of being paid ₹2 lakh under the scheme of the government’s surrender-cum-rehabilitation of Naxalites, in the presence of Rayagada Superintendent of Police Harisha B.C, and fellow Dongria Kondh members. But she did not agree to the idea as it would have labeled her as a Maoist cadre and tainted her family name.
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In Lakhpadar, where 32 families reside, she was not the sole inhabitant facing such allegations. Seven other villagers have faced such charges of alleged ties with the outlawed CPI (Maoist) over the past 15 to 20 years. Two of these individuals from Lakhpadar have since passed away.
This pattern extends beyond Lakhpadar as numerous Dongria Kondh tribals have also been detained and sent to jail by the authorities on suspicion of Maoist affiliations.
Just last year, nine Dongria Kondh tribals and an activist from Niyamgiri Suraksha Samiti were charged with sedition, only to have the charges later dropped by the police.
Meanwhile, about 12 km away from Lakhpadar, the stage was set for Ms. Minjali’s supposed surrender at Parasali, the panchayat headquarters, on Sunday. Villagers reported that the district police had assured them to consider dropping the Maoist-related cases against her and others. In the past 10 days, the Rayagada district police chief made two visits to Lakhpadar in an attempt to build trust among the Dongria Kondhs.
However, the Rayagada SP did not attend Sunday’s meeting leaving the men and women of the Dongria communities, who had descended from the hills in hopes of resolving their legal issues, feeling disillusioned. Frustrated by the continued branding of their community members as Naxalites along with their sympathisers, they announced a boycott of the upcoming elections.