MYSURU: Four days after 49 people returned to Indiganatha village with the court granting them bail, normalcy is yet to return to this hamlet in the woods close to Male Mahadeshwara Hills, as residents fear police action.
Indiganatha village had hit the headlines after villagers attacked poll staff and destroyed EVMs meant for the Lok Sabha elections, protesting against denying basic facilities to the village for decades. Though many walked out of the jail on bail recently, they fear that police may pick them up again any time as they are yet to get bail in other cases. The police had registered cases against 250 people and only 49 got bail. The fear is palpable as villagers are tight-lipped to avoid any further trouble.
Those who protested for the basic amenities, too have fallen silent and plead with visitors to leave them alone. “We have left it to the government. Let them give us basic facilities whenever they feel like,” said a frustrated Puttathamdai.
Village Panchayat member Nagarthamma said the authorities and government have not heard them even after they boycotted the Lok Sabha polls. The villagers depend on drinking water collected from ponds and man-made pits inside the forest, she said.
The villagers said no pooja has been conducted for the local deity Mahadeshwara as those performing puja too have been booked and sent to jail.
The violence has divided the residents of Indiganatha and their neighbouring Mandara, where villagers fear that they will face trouble as many of them voted under police cover. They have now approached
residents of Palar, where a considerable number of Soligas live, to move there for security and to avoid any further confrontation with the people of Indiganatha.
The violence and arrest of their parents has had a psychological impact on the children. They now live with their grandparents and depend on food served at the anganwadi centre as the majority of adults in the village have been jailed. Children avoid meeting people as they ask them about the violence or their parents.
The presence of police near the school has made them maintain distance and all they want to know is whether their parents would be picked up again. The situation is similar at Mandara as many parents have not sent their children to the anganwadi centre to have food served by the government.