RAIPUR: When Dharampal Saini, 91, and Telam Boraiyya, 71, got a phone call from the police on April 5 seeking their help in securing the release of CRPF jawan, Rakeshwar Singh Manhas, they were unsure of how to react owing to their advanced age. But the next day when they came to know that the Maoists, who had taken the CoBRA commando captive on April 3 following a fierce encounter in the jungles of Bijapur in south Bastar, wanted some mediators to negotiate the release of Manhas, both readily agreed.
“On April 5 I was contacted by the police. They said they want to involve me in a dialogue with the Maoists. I asked them the subject of negotiations. The next day I learnt about the Maoists’ demand through the media that they will only release the jawan to some mediators so I agreed,” said Saini, or Tauji as he is popularly known.
“On April 7 night I left Jagdalpur and had a night halt at the CRPF camp in Tarrem, Bijapur. On April 8 morning, I along with Boraiyya, our companions and the journalists left for the village where the jan-adalat was held,” Saini said. Boraiyya, too, was surprised when the police called. “The region is affected by left wing extremism and I never expected it. When the Avapalli sub-divisional police officer called I was astonished but he requested me to be part of the negotiating team,” he told this newspaper.
Originally from Dhar in Madhya Pradesh, Saini was a follower of social activist Vinoba Bhave. He now heads Mata Rukmani Sewa Sansthan, an organization that works among girls in Bastar. The nonagenarian learnt about the plight of girls in Bastar and sought permission from Bhave to work for their education. He set up an ashram in the 1960s, when the literacy rate in Bastar was around one percent.
The ashram now runs 37 schools in different villages of Bastar. Several girls who have passed out from Saini’s schools are not only placed in government and private jobs but have also excelled in sports at the national level. He was honoured with the Padma Shri for his outstanding achievements in 1991.
Mediator told to ensure safe transit of jawan
“We were dropped at Tarrem in Bijapur by the police on Thursday morning and our onward journey of about 15 km was with the local journalists on their motor-cycles,” Saini and Boraiyya said. They were told by the Maoists to reach Jonaguda. “The Maoists had sent their messenger to Jonaguda, where we had to wait for 20 minutes. We reached the jan adalat spot around 9 am.
The entire proceeding was conducted out by a woman Maoist,” Boraiyya said. “The talks with the Maoists were constructive, they didn’t raise any demand for the release of the jawan,” Saini further said. Boraiyya’s family subsists on his monthly pension and a 12-acre of agriculture land. “As the head of a tribal body, I work among our community to create awareness on education and against social evils.
We also ensure that the culture of tribals remains intact ,” he added. “For us both Saini and Boraiyya were facilitators rather than mediators. Their credibility worked to achieve the goal,” said Bastar IGP Sunderraj P. Saini. Boraiyya revealed the Maoists told them to ensure the jawan reaches his home in Jammu safely.