చెవిటి మూగవాడిపై తీవ్రవాది ముద్ర

ప.బెంగాల్ లోని మిడ్నాపూర్ అడవుల్లో జరిగిన ఎదురుకాల్పుల సంఘటనలో అరెస్టు చేయబడ్డ గిరిజన యువకుడు చెవిటి మూగవాడు. కాల్పుల శబ్ధానికి భయపడి దగ్గరలో వున్న తమ ఇంటినుండి తల్లి చేయి పట్టి పరుగుపెడుతున్న మూగ యువకుడి తలకు తుపాకీ గురిపెట్టి పట్టుకుపోయి నక్సలైట్ ముద్రవేసి అరెస్టు చేసారు. ఈ కుఱవాడికి 2004 నుండి వచ్చిన అనారోగ్యానికి చేసిన చికిత్స వివరాలను చూపించి ఆయన మానసిక రోగిగ వైద్యులందించిన వివరాలను చూపించినా వినని ఖాకీ కర్కసం, న్యాయమూర్తుల కళ్ళులేని కబోదితనంను స్థానికులు ప్రశ్నిస్తున్నారు. ఈ సంఘటన వలన ఆ కుఱవాడు మరింత భయాందోళనలకు లోనయి పూర్తిగా మానసిక అనారోగ్యానికి గురౌతాడని, పూర్తిగా మాటలు రాని ఆ యువకుడికి అడిగితే అరుపులు తప్ప జవాబు చెప్పలేడని వేడుకున్నా కనికరించని ఖాకీతనం యొక్క మూర్ఖత్వపు వివరాలు ఈ దిగువ చదవండి.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Cops-parade-deranged-man-as-Maoist/articleshow/6060704.cms
Cops parade deranged man as Maoist
Caesar Mandal, TNN, Jun 18, 2010, 12.47am IST

Tags:toi|ENT|Midnapore|Tarakeshwar|Unlawful Activities Prevention|Anirban Diagnostic Centre Pvt Ltd|Midnapore court|Duli village
SALBONI (WEST MIDNAPORE): The "dreaded" Maoist captured by joint forces on Wednesday the only one apparently caught alive at the encounter site where eight rebels lay dead is a 20-year-old mute and mentally challenged youth from Duli village. No wonder, police haven't been able to make him speak.

In what may cast a shadow on the way the police are rounding up suspects, Rameshwar Murmu has been branded a hardcore Maoist and slapped with the most stringent of charges, including sedition under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA).

The Midnapore court on Thursday remanded him in 15 days judicial custody. While on Wednesday, the cops claimed the "captured Maoist" was too stunned at the loss of so many comrades to speak and admitted that he hadn't said a word, Rameshwar's father, Bankim Murmu, cried, "My son can't speak. He may scream if you hit him, but he can't speak a word." The Murmus live right behind Wednesday's encounter site.

Bankim says Rameshwar suffers from congenital epilepsy and developed ENT problems at a very young age leading to loss of speech and hearing. He produced medical records to support his claim. "He can only make barely legible sounds. It affected his behaviour and he lost his mental balance. That is why he could not pursue education beyond class IV," a tearful Bankim told TOI on Thursday.

Bankim owns a mud house and a small plot of land on the edge of Ranjya forest where the bloody encounter took place on Wednesday. His elder son, Ram, works in a factory in Orissa.

Recounting Wednesday's developments that led to his son being captured, Bankim said they woke up to the sound of gunfire behind his house. The family rushed out in the direction of the village to avoid being hit.

"My wife Madina was holding Rameshwar's hand as we ran. The gunfire had woken up other villagers as well and they were running helter-skelter. In the melee, Rameshwar broke free and ran back towards the house. I don't know what was on his mind. My wife ran after him. But before she could reach Rameshwar, police caught him. They put a gun to his head and said they would shoot if anyone took a step forward," he said.

The parents could only watch helplessly as the forces led their son away. "We pleaded with them to let him go. We told them that he is mentally challenged and not involved with Maoists. But they refused to listen," said Madina. They don't know where their son has been taken. Nor do they have the courage to go to the police for fear of being thrashed.

According to medical documents, Rameshwar was treated at several places between 2004 and 2006, including ENT specialists at Tarakeshwar in Hooghly and Midnapore. On June 5, 2006, when Rameshwar was 16, he was taken to Anirban Diagnostic Centre Pvt Ltd in Midnapore town (ID B-6884, checked by Dr N Adhikari).

Other villagers, like Sudha Soren and Lakshmi Murmu, confirmed that Rameshwar was mentally challenged. "He never behaved like a normal kid. Now we hear that he has been paraded before TV channels with his hands tied and branded a Maoist," Sudha said.

Rameshwar was bare-bodied and wearing blue shorts when he was caught, an unlikely dress for a guerrilla. Police insist Rameshwar was present alongside senior Maoist leaders Bikash and Akash. "After the gunfight, we caught him hiding behind a hedge. He had a single-barrel gun," a cop said.