JHARKHAND : Ladu Munda, 31, a Maoist-turned-social activist, has been creating awareness about education in his area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district after his release from jail in 2020. According to Munda, he could study only till Class 8 as there was no high school in his village and his family could not afford to send him outside for further studies. “I am deeply pained that I couldn’t complete my education.
Therefore, after being released from jail on March 8, 2020 following my surrender, I took it up as a mission to ensure that every child in my village Madhatu and other adjoining villages is not deprived of education,” Munda said. =
Munda participated in vil- lage councils. He has been elected as the school management committee president by the students’ parents for the second consecutive term in the Upgraded Middle cum Plus Two High School at Tubil in Arki block. Since there was no school in his village, Munda studied till Class 8 in the then Tubil Middle School, located at a distance from his village. This was the time when Maoist organisations were spreading their tentacles in Khunti.
During 2009-10, a squad of Maoist leader Kundan Pahan started visiting Madhatu. They used to hold public hearings in every village and resolve problems through ‘Kangaroo’ courts. The villagers would complain to Maoists about corruption in block offices and less payment under MGNREGA. Since Maoists were solving problems within hours, Munda became influenced by them.
He finally joined them in 2009 when he was 18. “I was given the responsibility of connecting teenagers and youth with the organisation. I hoped that the Maoist movement would improve my condition and that of the villagers,” said Munda. “But after a few years, I started realising that I have chosen a wrong path as the Maoists have been fooling people in the name of ideology,” he added.
Munda saw that people were being killed for extortion. Maoists often murdered innocent people accusing them of being police informers. He was shocked to see the killings. Meanwhile, police were searching for him for his role in various cases, including Murhu bank robbery. Police were also targeting his family and villagers to mount pressure on him.
He realised that the Maoist organisations have deviated from their ideology and fled to Keonjhar in Odisha. He worked there as a labourer in mines for 2-3 years, but wanted to return home, but the situation was not favourable for him.
“Police were searching for me. I also feared that I might be killed by the Maoists for leaving the organisation,” said Munda. “One morning, a notice was pasted at my house by police announcing that my home will be demolished for supporting Maoists. I felt guilty that my entire family was suffering because of me,” he said. He then returned to Jharkhand and contacted villagers. With the help of his family, he established communication with the police and expressed his desire to join the mainstream. “Finally, I surrendered before then DIG Amol V Homkar and SP Ashwini Kumar Sinha on January 19, 2017.
After being lodged in Khunti jail for a few days, I was sent to Hazaribagh open jail,” said Munda. He was released on bail in 2020. Munda then launched “Maine Hon Ko Ke Kulkope” (Send the children to school) campaign to enroll children in schools. He succeeded, but by the time parents got convinced, ‘Pathalgadi’ movement by tribals started in Khunti, under which people were being appealed not to take government and surrender Aadhaar cards. After Munda raised the issue with the local SDO, the requirement was removed.