Babita Mahto, who has been with this Local Guerrilla Squad of CPI (Maoist) a year, said that joining the party gave her a sense of purpose and immortality.
“So many women in the Mahto community kill themselves due to the stress from dowry, tilak [social ceremonies]. If I die at home, my parents will mourn for some months; we had a daughter who died, they will say. But here, there are so many of us who will remember — there was such and such didi [older sister], our comrade; she died for the people.”
An article based on this and other interviews with Maoist rebels in this area appeared in The Hindu.
Another interview with the Maoist cadre in Singhbhum during parliament elections was published here.
Anumeha Yadav 