Narmada (Maoist)
Narmada | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Died | 4 December, 2012 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation(s) | A cadre and chief of women wing of People's Liberation Guerrilla Army[1][3][4] |
| Organization | Communist Party of India (Maoist) |
| Known for | Far-left politics |
| Spouse | Sudhakar alias "Kiran"[3] |
Narmada was one of the senior-most female cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist),[1][3][4] an ultra-leftist[5] underground political party of the Republic of India. The Indian government has banned the CPI (Maoist) has been listed as a terrorist organisation by the Government of India, and has banned the Communist Party of India (Maoist) all its formations and front organisations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).[6] She was the chief of the women wing of CPI (Maoist),[3] and subsequently a central committee member.[3]
Family
She married Sudhakar alias "Kiran", a Naxal ideologue.[3] Sudhakar is a polit bureau member of CPI (Maoist), and works for the party's publication division.[3]
Her father also sympathised the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency.[1]
Guerrilla life
Narmada dropped-out the college[3] and joined the CPI (Maoist) at an early age of 18,[1] and she had spent over 30 years in the jungles as a veteran to the Maoist movement in India.[1] Her father was also a supporter of the communist ideology, and his words so touched her that join the ultras.[1]
During an interview with the French journalist Vanessa, Narmada said:
"My father was a Communist, and in those times, a Communist was like a pariah. My father would talk about Naxals and say that they have broken away from the shackles of domesticity."
— Narmada[1]
And it was after that conversation with her father,[1] that she decided to drop-out of college[3] and take up arms against the Indian State.
She was active as the Divisional Secretary of South Gadchiroli division,[3][4] and also as the chief of the women wing of Maoist organisation.[1][3] She was the second female comrade to have been selected as the central committee of the ultra-leftist organisation, after Anuradha Ghandy[3] (wife of Kobad Ghandy)[7][8] She had 53 police cases registered against her name in Maharashtra.[4]
She was able to fluently communicate in seven languages, including English.[2]
"After taking over reins of the Gadchiroli unit a few years ago, she set up five different platoons -- an aggressive military force -- in her territory equipped with modern arms, ammunition and latest communication network to counter the state machinery."
Death
Narmada had been reported to have gunned-down during a fierce hour-long exchange of fire between the Reds and state's police forces near Hiker village, bordering Abujhmad of Chhattisgarh, in south Gadchiroli;[3][4] on December 4, 1012.[3][4]
The Reds managed to escape the scene alongwith her body;[3] and her body is reported to have been buried at Malwada tribal village in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh.[3]
"The naxalite managed to carry the body and fled the scene. The intelligence sources identified the women naxalite killed in the encounter as Narmada. We also hear about it from our sources. Now we are waiting for the confirmation from the naxalite."
— Mohd. Suvej Haq, the Superintendent of Police, Gadchiroli[3]
She is reported to have been 57 years old when she passed away by the The Hindu,[4] but Hindustan Times reports that she was 46.[3] And, the French journalist, Vanessa, who interviewed Narmada at an unknown time in the jungles of Dandakaranya, has reported that Narmada was 48 years old when she interviewed her.[1]
The ultras are yet silent over the media reports about the elimination of the female comrade.[4][3]
See also
- Socialism
- Communism
- Naxalism
- Marxism
- Leninism
- Maoism
- Anuradha Ghandy
- Charu Majumdar
- Cherukuri Rajkumar
- Kobad Ghandy
- Kondapalli Seetharamaiah
- Mallojula Koteswara Rao
- Muppala Lakshmana Rao
- Prashant Bose
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "100lb Guerillas - Slightly built they may be, but you'd be a fool to take them lightly. Battle-hardened, fiercely committed to their cause and proud of the identity the movement gives them, the woman Maoists here are every bit as fierce as their male comrades". OPEN Magazine. 18 September, 2010. Retrieved 19 January, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b Deshpande, Vivek (12 October, 2009). "Woman known for beauty, terror led Gadchiroli Naxal attack". The Indian Express. Nagpur. Retrieved 19 January, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Maitra, Pradip Kumar (27 December, 2012). "Woman naxal leader killed in Gadchiroli". Hindustan Times. Nagpur. Retrieved 19 January, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i Staff Reporter (10 January, 2013). "Dreaded Naxal leader active in Gadchiroli". The Hindu. Nagpur. Retrieved 19 January, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ "Interview with Comrade Ganapathy, General Secretary (General Secretary), CPI (Maoist) given to Swedish writer Jan Myrdal and Gautam Navlakha". Senaste nytt från sällskapet (Latest news from Society). January, 2010. Retrieved 19 January, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|date=(help) - ^ LIST OF ORGANISATIONS DECLARED AS TERRORIST ORGANISATIONS UNDER THE UNLAWFUL ACTIVITIES (PREVENTION) ACT, 1967 - Ministry of Home Affairs, 19 January, 2013
- ^ Bharucha, Nauzer (24 September 2009). "Kobad's father backed cause: brother-in-law". Times of India. Retrieved 19 January, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ Bhatt, Sheila (23 September 2009). "Kobad Ghandy: The gentle revolutionary". Rediff. Retrieved 19 January, 2013.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help)