Fruitful Rehabilitation talks
Bengaluru : Six Naxalites (Maoists), including Mundagaaru Latha, are expected to surrender soon and reintegrate into the mainstream. According to sources, others set to surrender include Sundari Kulluru, Vanajakshi Balehole, Mareppa Aroli, K. Vasanth, and T.N. Jeesh.
The Karnataka government, intelligence officials, and members of the Naxal Surrender Committee and Citizens’ Forum for Peace have been holding discussions to finalise the surrender process. The surrender is expected to take place within the next few days, with the government ensuring that the process is dignified and respectful.
The government has agreed that once these Naxals surrender, they should not be subjected to prolonged imprisonment. Many of them have been implicated in multiple cases, even those unrelated to them, and there is a demand for legal relief. In response, the government has assured assistance for securing bail and legal aid through the Legal Services Authority.
Additionally, the cases against them will be resolved through a special court, and financial assistance will be provided based on categorisation:
Category A: ₹7.5 lakh in three instalments
Category B: ₹4 lakh in three instalments
Rehabilitation measures will also include skill training to help them transition into a normal life. The Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu governments have taken a sympathetic approach towards their reintegration, sources said. However, the organisations sympathetic towards Naxal surrender scheme have put forward some key demands of the Naxals.
Land distribution: Five acres of agricultural land with permanent land rights for landless families.
Adivasi rights: Recognition of forest dwellers’ land rights and housing.
Agricultural support: Immediate resolution of issues faced by farmers growing staple crops like paddy.
Environmental concerns: Repeal of the Kasturirangan Report on the Western Ghats and an end to high-tech tourism projects that threaten the ecosystem.
Forest rights: Complete authority for indigenous people over forest land.
National parks: Scrapping of Kudremukh National Park project.
Employment: Jobs based on merit for unemployed youth.
Women’s safety: Action against gender violence linked to cultural changes.
Climate action: Scientific assessment of climate change impacts on agriculture, human life, and nature.
Farmer displacement: an immediate halt to the eviction of farmers across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
With Karnataka state taking forward the surrender process, even states Tamil Nadu and Kerala are also putting together the process, which will be implemented soon, the organisation sources said.