The story of Premnath Oraon is one of change of heart, where he gave up the power that grows out of a barrel of a gun for the sake of his family.
Premnath was produced in Ranchi Civil Court, in presence of his wife Jacqueline Minz and eight month-old son Ankit, after he surrendered before DGP DK Pandey and Ranchi SSP Kuldeep Dwivedi on Monday.
Hailing from lohagara village under lapung police station, the 30-year old Premnath took up arms after completing his matriculation to win back his land usurped by some residents of his village.
“My land measuring more than 15 acres was appropriated by Bandhan Oraon, lal Gope, Surjan Oraon and others from my village in 2000. The case went to the court and I submitted legitimate documents of the land establishing my ownership on the plot, but in vain,” Premnath recounted.
He continued, “With no way out, I decided to contact the local Maoist squad for help in getting my land back. This is how I got in touch with Bablu, who later recruited me in his squad in exchange of assistance in the matter.”
Premnath’s squad was responsible for handling propaganda for their outfit in Kolebira region of Simdega, he said. “Our squad had eleven members at most, who were armed with SlR, Insas and .303 rifles. We used to go to villages in the area and gather villagers for meetings. We stayed away from encounters with police forces; I was involved in only one case of burning down a bulldozer,” Premnath said
In 2009, Premnath was promoted to the level of area commander of Kolebira-Simdega area. After Bablu was captured by police forces, he rose to the position of sub-zonal commander of the region in 2011. “During this time in the outfit, I met wanted Maoist rebels like Sanjay Ganjhu and Jatin,” he said.
“But despite working with them for the past 15 years, the purpose behind becoming a rebel remains unfulfilled,” Premnath lamented. “The squad never consented to leaving the cover of forests in Simdega to come down to fields to lapung to get my land back. Even I was not allowed to come to my village. The land remains under the possession of those who captured it 15 years ago,” he said.
During this time, he married Jacqueline in 2014, and times changed for Premnath. “Jacqueline knew about my work and tried to persuade me again and again to change my ways. When she was expecting our child in 2015, I asked the outfit for some money but was blatantly turned down. I had to request my in-laws to bear her medical expenses,” he said.
He further said, “Finally, my wife’s words convinced me to give up living like a criminal on the run. Taking her counsel, I contacted Ranchi SSP three months ago through an intermediary, conveying my intentions to surrender.”
Now a changed man, Premnath expressed his wishes to do some good for the society he had worked against for so long now. “Now a part of the mainstream society, I look forward to contribute to it. I will talk to the youth to keep them from the path of violence I wrongly took,” said Premnath.