"Come Back": Father's Emotional Appeal To One of Maharashtra's Last Maoists

As curtains come down on the Maoist era across the country, a father has sent an earnest appeal to his son - 'Return to your people. Your team is no more'. The son he yearns for is among the last Maoists in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, once a Maoist "liberated" zone as much as Chhattisgarh's Bastar. 

Jayaram - alias Nandu Monge Gavade - had left home 14 years ago in a fit of rage after his father scolded him for some household chores he neglected. Today, he is one of the last six Maoists on the records of the state police. 

Read: As Maoist Menace Winds Down, A Relook At "Red Corridor"

A lad of 17, he had taken up arms after leaving home. He had not returned since. Now - a day after the government deadline for eradication of Maoists -- the security forces are on his trail. 

When NDTV visited his home at Gilanguda, a remote village in Etapalli, his father Monge Gavade made an emotional appeal to his son through a video message.

Speaking in the Madia language - spoken by the local Madia Gond tribe -- he earnestly pleaded with his son. "Now, all your senior comrades and leaders in the Dalam have left. So why, then, are you enduring such hardships alone in the jungle? Lay down your gun and return to your people," he said. 

Read: Forest Hideouts To Mass Surrenders: 45-Year Timeline Of Naxalism In Maharashtra

Sources in the security forces say Gavade is a member of the Maoists' Company No. 10. 

The six remaining Maoists comprise four women and two men: Divisional Committee member Raju Weko and member Jayaram Gavade. Of this group, five persons are from the state of Chhattisgarh, while Gavade is the sole member from Gadchiroli.

They are the sole remnants of what was once a dreaded terror hub that carried out attacks against the police and the people alike. Today most of them have died -- or surrendered following the handsome package being offered by the state government.  

Over the recent years, Security forces had intensified operations in Gadchiroli. In April 2018, two major operations resulted in the deaths of over 40 Maoists. 

On March 31, the Central government had declared Maharashtra "Naxal free".

(With inputs from Manish Rakshamwar)