CRPF trains girls from Naxal areas as security guards

The 18-year-old from Chaibasa parades on a dusty ground under the hot sun

The 18-year-old from Chaibasa parades on a dusty ground under the hot sun. Head held high,she shows no sign of fatigue as she marches towards the finishing line. Her face is a picture of confidence as her tiny but tough fingers settle the crimps on her brand new blue uniform.

Three weeks into 12-week security guard training provided by the CRPF under project Rupantaran for tribal girls has changed her life. Brought back from a Maoist camp after a CRPF operation,she is one of the 31 girls selected from remote districts to be trained as security guards in Chaibasa.

With the CRPF making headway in its counter-insurgency operations in Jharkhand,the force is exploring different ways at consolidating its position,particularly earning the goodwill of the local population. Project Rupantaran is one such initiative. And it is already showing results by winning the trust of local residents to a great extent.

The main aim of the project is to train tribal girls in a way that they get employment as security guards in schools in tribal areas. With the amount of insecurity and fear among people in this area,this is an important step that needs to be taken. It will help strengthen the girls who are vulnerable to trafficking,migration and Naxalism, said D K Pandey,IG CRPF,Jharkhand.

But it was not an easy task since most parents were reluctant to send girls far from home,that too to the camps. With the help of Sahyog,an NGO,we made them understand how this project is not only going to bring financial stability to their lives,but will also give them a sense of security and a better lifestyle once these girls are done with the training, Pandey said.

Stricken by poverty and caught in the war between Maoists and the CRPF,the 18-year-old became a part of it. She moved from one camp to another with the Maoists,cooking and doing daily chores. But she constantly lived in fear and missed her family. She was there simply because she didnt know who to turn to and the Maoists had asked her to help them. Some people said be with the police,some said the Maoists will help us. We did not know where to go,who to be with. But now I know,I am at the right place, she said,taking a break from the drill.

At the Chaibasa base ground of the CRPF 197 Battalion,her day starts early with physical training and yoga,followed by sessions of foot drills,martial arts,karate and academic lessons. She had never been to school,never seen a computer or played sports. I feel happy to hold books,I always wanted to study. They (CRPF) give me food to eat,new uniform and accommodation. I am being trained to be a security guard,so it is good. I have four sisters and a brother. I will educate them and make my brother take the police exam.