India/western Sociology

[dhu]

Jai ho!! More connections between Maoist terorists and Sonia Gandhi's NAC...



[url="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/at-nac-members-ngo-they-wait-for-padma-wife-of-top-maoist/754114/0"]At NAC member’s NGO, they wait for Padma, wife of top Maoist[/url]

Hyderabad : This group of 98 girls in a Hyderabad orphanage are hardly aware of the celebratory welcome to Junior Engineer Pabitra Majhi and the wait for District Collector R Vineel Krishna.



For them, there is only one person whose release they are waiting for: Sirishakka, their “home manager,” their primay caregiver, friend and tutor.



Also known as A Padma, wife of top Maoist leader Akkiraju Haragopal alias Ramakrishna. Padma was arrested by the Orissa Police from Dudhari in Koraput district on November 13 last year, four days after she left the orphanage, while going to meet her ailing husband who is suspected to be behind the DC’s abduction. Padma’s release is one of the Maoists’ demands.



At the orphanage, Rainbow Home — Aman Vedika, the children say they miss her since she left suddenly saying that she was going away for 10 days, but never returned.



The orphanage is run by Aman Biradari, an NGO, founded by Harsh Mander, member of National Advisory Council (NAC), former IAS officer and human rights activist.



The Maoists who abducted Malkangiri district collector R Vineel Krishna last week have demanded the release of A Padma and seven others in exchange for releasing him.



When contacted, Harsh Mander said his group had no idea about the identify of Padma when she came looking for a job in October 2008.



“She came with some references. Until her arrest, we did not know that she had a Maoist background, or her real name. She was known only by the false name that she had assumed. We did not have any problems with her — she did her job well of managing the home and taking care of kids. Only when she was arrested and her real identity was established did we come to know. There was nothing we could do about it,” Mander says.



Aman Vedika officials say that had Padma disclosed to them her true identify they would not have hired her.



Said Mander: “We abhor and oppose all kinds of violence. This lady has abdicated violence and has come out of the movement. Had she told us about her background, we would have had a different kind of engagement with her. Maybe we would have helped her surrender, announce that publicly and helped her in rehabilitation.”



“I am not sure if she will go back to Rainbow Home after her release. Though our organisation is very democratic we have not yet decided on what to do if she returns. I cannot give a decisive answer now,” said Mander.



As for the children, they want her back. “Many girls had a lot of explaining to do in school as teachers used to ask them about ‘Sirishakka’. Some government officials asked the girls if she ever talked about Maoist movement or Left ideology. We are very sure that she never discussed anything like that with the children,” said K Anuradha, incharge of orphanage.



“She was very caring and girls like her a lot. They still long for her and hope that she comes back. Some of them ask about her even now. We also miss her as a colleague,” said K Anuradha.