Back to the grind

Bhubaneswar, Feb. 18: They draw a monthly salary of Rs 400 and their ageing voices are tired of raising slogans against the government’s apathy.

Yet, for over 7,000 village rakhis (guards), there is little time to complain. Thousands of them who hit the capital streets on February 14, pledging not to budge until the government listens to their demands, are returning home after realising their own importance in the Maoist hit regions of the state.

“What if the government fails to understand our importance? We realise our duty towards the innocent people of our villages,” said Fakir Mohan Mallick, the assistant secretary of the Nikhil Utkal Gram Rakhi Sangha.

“Only a rakhi can identify an intruder in the village. So, Maoists will never escape his shrewd eyes. The state and our people and police need our support at this moment and staying here fighting for our rights will be too selfish,” said Mallick.

Rakhis of Harekrishnapur, Nuagaon, Odagaon and Bhanjanagar in Nayagarh left for their villages as soon as they came to know of the attack. Rakhis in villages of Ganjam Boudh, Kandhamal and Nayagarh headed for their destinations today.

The rakhis have been demanding increased salary of at least Rs 1,500 and right to compensation in case of death during duty since the past twenty years. They have also been demanding for allowances after retirement and a job for a family member.

“We also want the government to streamline us by absorbing us into the Panchayati Raj department as in the case of Bengal and Bihar,” said Anant Kumar Mandal, the general secretary.

“However, this time we were determined to protest here till our last breath but the Maoist attack changed our plans. Each one of us is ready to lay down our lives for the people. Only, unlike the police, our sacrifices will go unrecognised,” Mandal said.

Orissa has about 56,060 villages which are guarded by 18,441 rakhis. According to the police manual, there should be one rakhi for every village.

“But one rakhi is responsible for five villages and is held responsible for any disturbance. He might lose his job any time. There is no security for him,” said Mandal.

Duties of a rakhi involve maintaining peace and to brief the police about any trouble in the village from time to time. They also guard the government’s property besides escorting criminals to courts. Exhausted and worn out, these men work all 30 days of a month and are required to visit the police station once every week to brief the inspector in charge of the problems in the villages.

“We have to walk hundreds of kilometres on foot,” said Paitabasa Bhoi, a rakhi.

“This apart we are appointed for election duty from time to time and also engaged in escorting VIPs who visit the area. Also in case of accidents, the rakhis guard the vehicles until they are released.”