The life of a Maoist: Violence and deceit are a part of the guerrilla life

A makeshift night halt for a Maoist squad inside the Dandakaranya forest. The rebels live a spartan life, with food and tobacco strictly rationed. Intoxicants, including local tribal brews, are banned. (Source: Express photo by Photos: Ashutosh Bhardwaj)

The Maoist insurgency is a phenomenon few have the will to grasp. Several thousands of armed men and women live in the forests of central India spearheading a revolutionary struggle which is reaching its 50th year soon. (Source: Express photo by Ashutosh Bhardwaj)

The state accuses Maoists of indoctrinating tribals, but it overlooks the fact that it has not convinced them that it can protect their interests better than the Maoists. (Source: Express photo by Ashutosh Bhardwaj)

Always on the move to elude the enemy, a guerrilla rarely spends consecutive nights at a single place. (Source: Express photo by Ashutosh Bhardwaj)

A loaded rifle is slung on the shoulder all the time; a woman carries one even when she goes for a bath in a river. (Source: Express photo by Ashutosh Bhardwaj)

Eight minutes is what the Maoists get to pack up and move. Their belongings — a plate, a few clothes and basic toiletries — all fit into one pithoo bag. (Source: Express photo by Ashutosh Bhardwaj)

Villagers in Bastar carry countrymade muzzle-loading guns called bhar-maar for hunting. The police often round up locals carrying the gun even though the unwieldy weapon is not a part of the Maoist armoury. (Source: Express photo by Ashutosh Bhardwaj)

A rebel fetches water for her camp. Comprising around 40 per cent of the cadre, women form the spine of the insurgency. All responsibilities are shared equally by men and women; the latter get special food rights. (Source: express photo by Ashutosh Bhardwaj)

A memorial for Mangal, killed in an encounter a few years ago, outside the Bali Bera village. “Villagers erased his name as they feared the police,” says his sister Simri. (Source: Express photo by Ashutosh Bhardwaj)