Tags:
Journalism of Courage
In a small village in Katapahari paralyzed by fear and deserted by its men fleeing the fallout of the governments crackdown on Maoists,hope came alive in the dead of night yesterday helpless and despairing.
Jashomoni Mandi,one of the scores of tribal women forced to flee their homes,gave birth on the verandah of the Narcha village primary school building in the heart of Lalgarhs battle zone and lay in her blood with her baby in her arms for a full seven hours before a village midwife arrived from Chotopelia to cut the umbilical cord.
Both Jashomoni and her baby girl are safe.
Women at the relief camp in Narcha their lives wrecked by the bloody Naxalite-CPM turf wars and their future a dark hole of uncertainty have named the child Aasha,hope.
With security boots firmly on the ground and the Maoists having fled the battlefield,a team of eight Secretaries to the government of West Bengal was supposed to reach Lalgarh today to begin implementation of Chief Ministers Buddhadeb Bhattacharjees declared plan to win back the local tribal population.
Until late tonight,the officers didnt arrive apparently they were held up by rain. If they manage to come tomorrow for their intended six-day stay in the area,the story of Jashomoni and Aasha will be a good starting point to finding out what Lalgarh lacks and needs.
Jashomoni who was still lying with Aasha on the primary school verandah when The Indian Express left them late on Tuesday evening had left her home in Chotopelia with her husband Ranjit five days ago. Afraid of getting caught between the Maoists and police,they reckoned they would be safer at Narcha,some four kilometres from Lalgarh police station.
At Narcha,the pregnant Jashomoni took shelter on the primary school verandah along with other women. Their menfolk,wary of the raids and combing operations in the entire area,fled into the forests. Ranjit fled too.
Around 2 am on Tuesday,Jashomoni went into labour. The women around her tried to get help but failed. Jashomoni gave birth on the floor.
She lay there through the night. At around 9 am,the women managed to get a midwife. We could not get any help. Yesterday,the police marched through this area. We told them that a woman is pregnant,and may give birth any moment. They did not pay any heed,did not stop,did not do anything, said Icchamoti Tudu,a woman who was by Jashomonis side through the night. Jashomoni begged the Express team for help.
Please give me some clothes. I just have one saree. My baby will die lying here. I need some food. I have nothing,please get me some help,either from the government or anyone else. Please arrange something.
When informed about Jashomoni and her baby,Praveen Kumar,DIG Midnapore Range,said: We are arranging for a medical teams visit to the area.
Narayan Swarup Nigam,district magistrate,West Midnapore,said: Relief work has already begun and medical teams are being sent.
With the first phase of operations against the Maoists completed,top police officers were working on their next step today. Fresh operations to clear the remaining stretches of roads will begin soon.
