Fear after retribution

Lango, the Jharkhand village where nine PWG ultras were lynched on Thursday night, swarms with 400-odd policemen today. Away at the Dumaria ...

Lango, the Jharkhand village where nine PWG ultras were lynched on Thursday night, swarms with 400-odd policemen today. Away at the Dumaria Police station, 35-year-old Dalu Samand, the alleged mastermind of the crime, is being interrogated.

Outside Samand8217;s hut, blood-soaked earth is dotted with an array of evidence 8212; shoes worn by the deceased and ropes that had tied them down while they were beaten to death. Among the dead were seven youths from nearby villages. Two others were 8216;8216;outsiders8217;8217;, say Purshottam Sarda and Bandu Hembrom. Were they scared then? 8216;8216;Yes,8217;8217; they say, 8216;8216;we have bows and arrows. But they had guns. They could knock us down anytime.8217;8217;

While East Singhbhum SP Arun Oraon assures 8216;8216;we have deployed security forces8217;8217;, these tribals fear they will be lynched once police are gone. Their fear is real. Admits Sub Inspector Anand Mishra: 8216;8216;The PWG is not known for forgiving enemies.8217;8217;

The Naxals had been harassing the villagers for quite some time. 8216;8216;They demand money from whoever is involved in construction work. I was associated with the government and its contractors who constructed roads. But I was threatened with dire consequence if I failed to give them Rs 5 lakh,8217;8217; says Sarda. As many as six residents of villages surrounding Lango couldn8217;t sow the paddy crop this monsoon as the ultras didn8217;t allow anyone to work for them.

Villagers8217; pent-up rage led to the formation of Nagrik Suraksha Samiti. Cops manning nearby police stations assured all help. 8216;8216;Even the SP saheb backed us,8217;8217; say the villagers. Minutes before the massacre, the ultras had tried to set afire a resident who dared to defy their hartal call. 8216;8216;That was the last straw,8217;8217; Samand says.

Two tribals slipped away and rang the school bell, summoning 5,000 armed tribals.

8216;8216;We had decided that whenever they come next, we will go for sendra hunt after ringing the bell,8217;8217; he says.