Two victims of war against Naxals,two different stories

Sen was arrested by the Chhattisgarh police for passing on information from a jailed Naxalite to his supporters. He denies these charges,attributing his arrest to his criticism of state atrocities in its war against the Naxals.

Her world plunged into chaos,Illina has been running from pillar to post,meeting lawyers as well as well-wishers who have floated the ‘Free Binayak Sen’ campaign. This in addition to working as a sociology professor in Wardha,Maharashtra. Her efforts seem to have paid off finally.

Archana Gupta-Soni,36,was at home in the steel town of Bhilai on April 16 when the phone rang. “There’s been an accident,” the voice said,“your husband is hurt”. It was not until later that day,when she saw crowds gathering outside her house,that Archana understood what was being replayed endlessly on television — her husband,U C Gupta,was dead. He had been on election duty in the Naxal-infested Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh,when he was killed in a landmine blast along with four others.

In the Chhattisgarh government’s war against Naxalites,both women have had their husbands taken away from them. One husband is an unquestioned martyr — even the Naxals apologised for killing Gupta. The other,Sen,is for some,a living martyr. The Chhattisgarh government though has dug its heels in,and the court is yet to pronounce on Sen’s guilt. Both husbands may or may not be victims,but the wives indisputably are. They’re bound by grief,resolve,and perhaps a little more.

Archana’s husband was a pharmacist attached to the government hospital in Rajnandgaon. The hospital treats poor tribals in this Naxal-affected area,typically at little cost. Illina’s husband was a practicing doctor in South Bastar before he was arrested in May 2007. He set up a hospital in Durg district where tribals would be charged minimally for treatment.

Since her husband was serving in inhospitable terrain for the last 25 years,Archana stayed separately in Bhilai,where their children were being educated. “We used to speak on the phone twice a day” she tells The Indian Express,“our love withstood that.” Sen’s peripatetic lifestyle meant that he and Illina were constantly living separately. “But I respected him for his commitment,” Illina says,“that’s what made him special”.

Archana has two daughters. Khushboo has finished her Class XII exams and wants to be an engineer; Surabhi,two years younger,wants to be a doctor. Funding for their education is Archana’s number one priority. The Rs 10 lakh that the state government has paid her in compensation will be used for this.

Illina has two daughters. Pranhita is studying to be a film director,while Aparajita has just finished her Class XII and wants to be a lawyer. Funding their education was always a problem,but,says Illina,“every time we had a money crunch,friends always helped out.”

Gupta had no views of the Naxal war. “He wanted no part of it,” says Archana,“he was simply doing his duty as an electoral officer”. Sen,on the other hand,stands accused of being a Naxal supporter,a charge he strongly denies. “I condemn Naxal violence,” he told The Indian Express from jail,“it’s just that I also condemn violence by the state”. Sen termed the murder of the five election officials — including Gupta — by the Naxals as “simply unacceptable”. “I can never forgive them (Naxalites); they destroyed my family,” says Archana. But she admits that Naxals thrive on poor governance by the state. “There must be more funds for development in these areas,” she says,“that’s what my husband was working for”.

Illina is also critical of violence by the Naxals: “if you want change,the only way is through democratic means”. But Illina has equally harsh words for the government: “In the fight against Naxals,the government has gone overboard,and critics like my husband are being jailed.”

Illina was allowed to meet her husband once a week for an hour,with policemen hovering around. “See what our marriage has come to,” Sen told The Indian Express as he held Illina’s hand during one such visit last month. But Illina never lost hope. “I have faith in the Constitution,despite the distortions; I will soon get my husband back,” she had said then.

But Archana will never get her husband back. “Nothing can replace him,” she whispers,her eyes swelling with tears. “But I will be driven by his memory. That will provide me with hope.”