When conducting elections is a matter of life and death
GADCHIROLI: For two months, a soldier suffering from malaria has been trekking for 30km with his troop to the jungle every day. Over the past two days, teachers from polling parties are living in jungles and swamps with electronic voting machines (EVMS) in their hands. With hostile terrain and lack of basic facilities, upholding democracy is a dangerous task in Maoist-hit Gadchiroli.
Two days before the state votes, Hindustan Times travelled across Gadchiroli to understand the process, on the way meeting ailing security personnel and ordinary citizens such as teachers and taxi drivers who show extraordinary courage just to face the challenge posed by Maoists.
The first journey was to Tadgaon village in Bhamragad taluka, the most sensitive region in the district which borders Abujhmad, the thickly forested region in Chhattisgarh that is at the heart of the Maoist movement. At 11am, party commander Rama Kudiyami stopped briefly. Having covered 14km and with 20km more to go, Kudiyami has not allowed malaria to come in the way of his journey to the polling station at Manneraja village. Instead, his team has been conducting area domination and sanitising exercises in the dense forest of Bhamragad since July, at times walking for 25km a day. “There’s no time for a break. I wouldn’t feel right to ask for it,” he smiles.
For men like him, a part of the C-60, a state police squad trained to take on Maoists, long stays in jungles during the polls are common. Usually, the operations involve walking long distances, carrying bags weighing 10-12 kg with weaponry and ammunition, while being alert of the possibility of the enemy lurking around. For the C-60 and the CRPF personnel, ensuring the safety of polling officials is the biggest challenge. “We first start trekking, then open a road, and sanitise it to make it safe for polling parties,” says a CRPF officer in Korchi. The trek is longer than the distance between the two places. “We often take detours, walking double the distance, to ensure the element of surprise remains,” the officer adds.
Troops, however, aren’t the only ones to show courage. Drivers of state transport (ST) buses, too, follow them closely. “In very sensitive areas, our buses are loaded with EVMS, while security personnel walk alongside the bus. The idea is if there were to be a mine explosion, we shouldn’t lose any officers,” said an ST bus driver, with a deadpan look.
Tuesday also saw an MI-17 chopper being put to use to ensure the safety of polling officials. “The distance from the Bhamragad base by road would have been about 30km and it is a sensitive route. So, we decided to take the aerial route,” says Vishal Thakur, deputy superintendent of police.
Holding these polls in the district is also a logistical nightmare. More than half of the 4,500 have to be transported to base camps close to the polling stations at least two days in advance. “We’ve just completed phase one of the polls. We still have to ensure safe polling and the safe return of these officers,” said another CRPF officer.