Slain Salwa Judum founder's son, ex-aide face off in Naxal hotbed

Aditi Tandon

Dantewada, October 30

In the Naxal hotbed of Dantewada, memories of slain Mahendra Karma, the founder of now-dead Salwa Judum, a state-sponsored anti-Naxal force, still linger.

“They say all kinds of things about him but Mahendra Karma was a good man. He wanted the best for his people. He wanted them to liberate themselves from the stranglehold of Naxals,” says Ram Dhar Yadav, a local, as Karma’s son Chhavindra Karma, Congress candidate from the seat for the November 7 election, slugs it out in his maiden poll campaign.

Dantewada poll scan

• The Congress has fielded slain Salwa Judum leader Mahendra Karma’s son from the high-profile seat
• The BJP is banking on Chet Ram Atami, a former leader of the now-dead state-sponsored anti-Naxal force

Challenging the young Karma is BJP’s Chet Ram Atami, a strong tribal leader and one-time commander of Salwa Judum, founded in 2005 and disbanded in 2011 after apex court’s ruling against arming civilians to fight Naxals. The development left several Salwa Judum cadres without active state protection. Both contenders in the key fight represent the legacy of Karma, who was massacred by Naxals in the deadly May 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack in Sukma. The ambush had wiped out Congress’ entire top leadership of the state. Karma took over 50 bullets in the attack which still evokes fear and anguish in the hearts of locals, who say Naxalism is far from over.

In the 2013 election, following Karma’s murder, his wife Devti won on the Congress ticket. She later lost the seat to BJP’s Bhima Mandavi in 2018. Mandavi was to meet a fate similar to Karma and was killed in a Naxal attack in April 2019 while on Lok Sabha election campaign. The subsequent 2019 bypoll saw the return of Devti, who has now passed on the Dantewada baton to her son.

“Chhavindra must take forward his father’s legacy. I have done enough. We will protect Salwa Judum recruits and keep working for Dantewada’s development,” Devti tells The Tribune as Salwa Judum recruits, left without state protection after 2011, continue to live in the shadow of fear.

They look to anyone who can help, especially to the Mahendra Karma clan with all nine children of the late anti-Naxal leader important Congress functionaries in the district. Devti’s daughter Tulika is the sitting Zila panchayat chief.

BJP’s Atami, district BJP chief, is campaigning on the plank of development, change and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message of “all-inclusive growth”. “We will work for the all-round development of our people and ensure an atmosphere of peace and security,” says Atami, chosen by the BJP for the seat over Bhima Mandavi’s wife Ojaswi who lost the 2019 bypoll to Devti by a slim margin. The angst of Ojaswi’s supporters is BJP’s top challenge in the area.

“Atami’s nomination can weaken BJP’s chances. Ojaswi Mandavi had a better chance,” says Vinod Singh, a resident.

Historically, Dantewada has been controlled both by the Congress and BJP with the Naxal shadow still looming over several of its villages. Salwa Judum recruits, speaking on the condition of anonymity, say their daily lives are a struggle for survival. “Naxal cadres are looking for us all over,” says an ex-Salwa Judum operative. He adds that though the former anti-Naxal force recruits live in camps set up by the state police, active institutional protection is missing, leaving them vulnerable. In April, Naxals killed 10 cops and their driver in an IED blast.