[Assam] poem and news : The true story about encounters with Maoist in West Bengal

[Sushanta Kar]

>
>
>  Poem:
>
> They named you Maoist today, Rameshwar
>
> Had you heard what they were saying
>
> While anointing you with this name
>
> You would have shaken your head violently from right to left
>
> Because that is the only way, you said ‘No’ all your life
>
> But, who had time to listen to you, Rameshwar?
>
> They behaved just like our villagers did
>
> Who kept calling you ‘Mental’
>
> I know, how violently you shook your head from right to left
>
> Every time you could read their lips saying that M word, Rameshwar
>
> But those ‘Hearies’ never cared to listen to your plea.
>
> I know last time when we took you to an ENT
>
> That ‘good doctor’ rather than pitying you
>
> Was angry on our ‘progressive’ state
>
> For not having enough special schools for kids like you.
>
> When we reported to him how you had to drop out after
>
> Fourth standard, he even angrily cursed your teachers
>
> Saying, “those Aatel Oralists”.
>
> That ‘good doctor’ rang up your father today morning
>
> After reading news in Times of India
>
> He said he felt sad for your predicament
>
> But also added how hard he and others had to fight to
>
> Prove that Binayak da, his friend and another ‘good doctor’
>
> Was no Maoist either.
>
> Himanshu Upadhyaya [June 18, 2010]
>
> News: Cops parade deranged man as Maoist
> Caesar Mandal, The Times of India
> 18 June 2010
> --------------------
>
> SALBONI (WEST MIDNAPORE): The "dreaded" Maoist captured by joint forces on
> Wednesday the only one apparently caught alive at the encounter site where
> eight rebels lay dead is a 20-year-old mute and mentally challenged youth
> from Duli village. No wonder, police haven't been able to make him speak.
>
> In what may cast a shadow on the way the police are rounding up suspects,
> Rameshwar Murmu has been branded a hardcore Maoist and slapped with the most
> stringent of charges, including sedition under Unlawful Activities
> Prevention Act (UAPA).
>
> The Midnapore court on Thursday remanded him in 15 days judicial custody.
> While on Wednesday, the cops claimed the "captured Maoist" was too stunned
> at the loss of so many comrades to speak and admitted that he hadn't said a
> word, Rameshwar's father, Bankim Murmu, cried, "My son can't speak. He may
> scream if you hit him, but he can't speak a word." The Murmus live right
> behind Wednesday's encounter site.
>
> Bankim says Rameshwar suffers from congenital epilepsy and developed ENT
> problems at a very young age leading to loss of speech and hearing. He
> produced medical records to support his claim. "He can only make barely
> legible sounds. It affected his behaviour and he lost his mental balance.
> That is why he could not pursue education beyond class IV," a tearful Bankim
> told TOI on Thursday.
>
> Bankim owns a mud house and a small plot of land on the edge of Ranjya
> forest where the bloody encounter took place on Wednesday. His elder son,
> Ram, works in a factory in Orissa.
>
> Recounting Wednesday's developments that led to his son being captured,
> Bankim said they woke up to the sound of gunfire behind his house. The
> family rushed out in the direction of the village to avoid being hit.
>
> "My wife Madina was holding Rameshwar's hand as we ran. The gunfire had
> woken up other villagers as well and they were running helter-skelter. In
> the melee, Rameshwar broke free and ran back towards the house. I don't know
> what was on his mind. My wife ran after him. But before she could reach
> Rameshwar, police caught him. They put a gun to his head and said they would
> shoot if anyone took a step forward," he said.
>
> The parents could only watch helplessly as the forces led their son away.
> "We pleaded with them to let him go. We told them that he is mentally
> challenged and not involved with Maoists. But they refused to listen," said
> Madina. They don't know where their son has been taken. Nor do they have the
> courage to go to the police for fear of being thrashed.
>
> According to medical documents, Rameshwar was treated at several places
> between 2004 and 2006, including ENT specialists at Tarakeshwar in Hooghly
> and Midnapore. On June 5, 2006, when Rameshwar was 16, he was taken to
> Anirban Diagnostic Centre Pvt Ltd in Midnapore town (ID B-6884, checked by
> Dr N Adhikari).
>
> Other villagers, like Sudha Soren and Lakshmi Murmu, confirmed that
> Rameshwar was mentally challenged. "He never behaved like a normal kid. Now
> we hear that he has been paraded before TV channels with his hands tied and
> branded a Maoist," Sudha said.
>
> Rameshwar was bare-bodied and wearing blue shorts when he was caught, an
> unlikely dress for a guerrilla. Police insist Rameshwar was present
> alongside senior Maoist leaders Bikash and Akash. "After the gunfight, we
> caught him hiding behind a hedge. He had a single-barrel gun," a cop said.
>
> Online at:
> http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Cops-parade-deranged-man-as-Maoist/articleshow/6060704.cms
>
>
> --
Sushnta Kar
সুশান্ত কর
তিনসুকিয়া, আসাম

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