RAIPUR: Tribal girls in the Naxal-infested Kondagaon village of Chhattisgarh have picked up hockey sticks over guns to fight Naxals here.
The young girls are being trained with the help of Indo-Tibetan Border Police or ITBP instructors.
"When sir asked us would you play hockey, we said we will play. Now, they have been giving training to us. We are preparing ourselves for state-level tournaments," said Chandrika, a hockey player.
Another player, Dineshwari, said "I play hockey and I am a goalkeeper. Earlier we used to play Kabaddi here after which a hockey team was formed and now we are trained by two teachers."
The team, who recently competed in a competition, stood second overall, thus proving their mettle.
With such sport-based interventions, tribal children, who have always been the soft target for Naxals, can be encouraged to get involved in positive activities. (ANI)