BANGARPET:It was an emotional family reunion for surrendered Naxal leader Renuka alias Bharathi when she met her mother Mangamma and other members after 10 years in Bangarpet on Wednesday.
All the family members welcomed Renuka by hugging her with tears rolling down their cheeks. Renuka, wife of Neelaguni Padmanabha, a Naxalite, along with another four Naxalites surrendered before Chikmagaluru district authorities on Monday. Renuka is the elder daughter of Narayanappa and Mangamma of Gangamma Palaya of Bangarpet town in Kolar.
She studied up to 10th Standard in Government Girls School, Bangarpet. Later, she started working with various progressive groups and fought for various social causes. She protested against the closure of Bharat Gold Mines Limited (BGML)in 2001 and campaigned in the rural parts of Kolar to strengthen progressive organisations.
Bharathi started a campaign against acid attacks on women after one such attack on one Shilpa. She along with her five friends met Padmanabha in 2004 and participated in a series of protests against illegal mining. When Padmanabha sustained bullet injuries in an encounter, she took care of him and married him in 2005.
“Bharathi used to contact us over phone, though she was away from Bangarpet,” said her brother Prem Kumar. Mangamma said she thought her daughter would never come back and always worried about her safety.
Bharathi said she and Padmanabha were residing at a rented house in Bengaluru and alleged the police had tried to implicate Padmanabha in many cases reported from Chikkamagaluru and Udupi districts.
“On Monday, we got an opportunity to surrender before the district administration with the help of Gauri Lankesh,” she said.
Surrendered Naxals in judicial custody
Chikkamagaluru: The NR Pura court remanded surrendered Naxalites Neelaguli Padmanabha and Rizwana Begum in judicial custody till November 28. Four Naxals, Neelaguli Padmanabh, Rizwana Begum, Bharathi and Raju surrendered before the district administration on Monday. Padmanabhs is facing 19 charges for involvement in Naxal activities-nine each in Chikkamagaluru and Udupi and one in Shivamogga. Rizwana faces two charges, one each in Sringeri and Raichur. Parashuram alias Raju and Bharathi do not face any charges.