Locked doors of huts, fear-stricken faces peek through narrow openings as security forces march along the abandoned lanes and bylanes. The joint forces may claim they have ‘liberated’ Kadasole village of Maoists, but not of fear. Scars of Maoist ‘justice’ and signs of a parallel government remains at every corner.

“We fear the Maoists, but we do not trust the police either. The police will not stay here forever. Then we know that they (Maoists) will return. And it will start all over again,” said a 45-year-old man, who refused to identify himself but showed the scars of Maoist terror that he had to go through three weeks ago.

“I was hit with a stick for hours as punishment for not listening to what they said. they stopped only after I fainted,” he added. The man, a dealer in sal leaves, was told by the Maoists to pay Rs 120 per bunch to local sal leaves gatherers, which he failed to do. Then a four-member squad of the Maoists came and beat him up as punishment.

“The procurement price is Rs 75. How can I buy bunches for Rs 120. I stopped my business and they punished me. There was a parallel government here,” he added.

His 27-year-old son, however, identified himself as Amiyo Patra and said like most of the villagers they could not flee. “All our cows and goats are here. How can we leave them? So we decided to stay back and face anyone — be it Maoists or the police,” he said.

... contd.