Odisha: Police arrange marriage of ex-Maoists, host banquet too

Both Ramdas, 29, and his wife Kalamdei, 25, were once associated with dreaded Maoist groups that are active in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, according to the police.

Kalamdei, the eldest daughter in a family of seven, was just 19 when she was allegedly abducted by the Maoists and then worked for the BGN division. However, a year later in January, 2016, she surrendered to the Kalahandi police.

With a bounty of Rs 3 lakhs, Ramdas was wanted in cases of criminal intimidation, attempt to murder and exchange of fire. (Express photo)

The police campus her home, she has since trained as a tailor. According to the police, though Kalamdei carried a bounty of Rs 1 lakh, she was never involved in any major crime.

That was unlike Ramdas, who was an active Maoist for 10 years and roamed around in the forests of Odisha before finally surrendering to the police in February, 2020.

With a bounty of Rs 3 lakh on his head, the native of Parsegundi village of Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district was wanted in many cases, including criminal intimidation and attempt to murder.

“I had joined the Maoists because I identified with their ideologies. But slowly all of it stopped making sense to me and I longed for my family back home. I could hardly sleep… I wanted to lead a normal life,” said Ramdas, who was part of the CPI (Maoists)’s KKBN division.

While as Maoists their paths never crossed, Ramdas said marriage was something they never thought about even after they met. “We met on the campus and had a lot of experiences to share, but what I did not know was that we would get married,” Ramdas said.

For sure, neither would have thought the police would play cupid.

With most girls in their village married off before turning 20, Kalamdei’s parents were worried about finding a match for her. And they knew where to go.

A senior police officer told The Indian Express: “Kalamdei’s parents approached us around six months ago and shared their concern. It was a random thought… we suggested Ramdas’ name as we had seen them getting along together and wondered if that alliance could be a possibility.”

But it was only recently the plan matured. Last month, Ramdas’ family visited Kalahandi for his father’s eye surgery and also met Kalamdei’s family to finalise the wedding plan.

And the Superintendent of Police, Dr Saravana Vivek M said it was only fitting the police played host. “Since both of them have been with us for so long, we decided to make it a police family function and host and participate in all the ceremonies,” he said.

The couple now plans to live together in Bhawanipatna, not far from the campus. “I will live here and start a family,” Ramdas said. “I will make sure my children go to school, get educated. I wish they become police officers.”