As Naxalites shift focus from rural to urban and semi-urban areas,investigations reveal that for the past two years,the outlaws have started concentrating on students hostels and slums in towns and cities,including Mumbai. Targeting mainly young Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe teenagers,they have already started recruiting them into their dalams (squads),investigations reveal. Between 10 and 15 hostellers from Chandrapur city and slum dwellers from Mumbai,including 3-4 girls,have already been recruited,sources said. The information came to light during the interrogation of some senior Naxals arrested recently in Vidarbha,sources said. The Indian Express had last month reported about the Naxal plan to recruit youths from urban areas. While most are from backward class students hostels in Chandrapur,some were picked up from Mumbai slums, sources said. They attended a lecture on Marx,Lenin and Maos philosophy at a remote place in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh,delivered by state committee members,including senior cadre Milind Teltumbdein, sources said. Its easy to lure these fellows when they are young. They are first inducted into front organisations and then slowly indoctrinated before being recruited into dalams, sources said. Some students belonging to a local organisation in Chandrapur were apprehended a few years ago. Some of these new recruits actually belonged to this organisation that had come under the scanner then, sources added. Some recruits are from Wani area of Yavatmal. The Naxals have started focusing on students hostels in places such as Rajura,Brahmapuri,Mul,Saoli and Nagbhid in Chandrapur district and Wani in Yavatmal, sources said. The sources said the parents of the boys and girls have no idea that their children are being trained and recruited as members of the Naxal army.
