From stepping out of shoes of Maoist commander to attending village flag-hoisting: Giridhar Tumreti looks back at his tumultuous journey

Indian Express

2 days ago

Life has turned full circle for Nangsu alias Giridhar Tumreti, the former Gadchiroli Divisional Committee in-charge of CPI (Maoist). Giridhar attended the flag-hoisting ceremony of the Tricolor on the Independence Day at the same school in Jaweli village of Gadchiroli, where he studied as a child, till Class 4, and at the gram panchayat of the village.
Tumreti, 45, surrendered on June 22, 2024. His defection, described as an 'operational game-changer' by security officials, has since triggered a wave of surrenders; 52 more cadres have laid down arms in the district.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Tumreti described the moment as deeply emotional. 'I felt great to return to my village and participate in the flag-hoisting ceremony. I attended the entire ceremony emotionally. Everyone spoke to me so warmly. I studied here up to Class 4, and now I got to visit the same school again,' he said.
Reflecting on his years in the insurgency, Tumreti recalled the circumstances that pushed him to join Naxalite movement at the age of 16. Coming from a poor farming family, lack of mother's care, exploitation by forest officials, unfair wages from tendu leaf contractors, and harassment from moneylenders drew many like him to Maoist ideology. 'The commanders told us we must fight oppression. At that time, I believed it was the right thing to do and I picked up the arms,' he said.
But years later, doubts grew. 'After 2015, I started reading more. I realised that the goal of creating a communist, socialist state in India will not happen. Even if we gave our lives, it would lead to no change. I became convinced revolution was not the answer,' he said.
Tumreti finally decided to return home, encouraged by government rehabilitation schemes and the need to care for his brother's children. 'Surrendered cadres are given temporary employment at Surjagad. I might do that in the future. For now, I am still watched by the forces, I have got the land from the government, and I will soon build my own home and live a simple life,' Tumreti said.
The return, however, is not without risks. Maoist pamphlets have branded him a 'traitor,' and security sources admit he faces threats from his former comrades.
Despite this, Tumreti is determined to start afresh. 'In the party, there was no rich or poor, but we never thought of our homes. Now, I want to rebuild my family's life. The government is showing us land where we can build a house. I'll see what work I can do next,' he said.
He also had a message for local youth: 'You should not join the Naxal movement. The path of peace and the Constitution is the right one. Weapons only harm our own people. We should think of our village and live a simple, peaceful life.'
For Tumreti, the most moving part of his return was the welcome gesture by his community. 'My cousin tied a rakhi on my wrist after 28 years. The villagers told me, 'You were in the party, but see, you became educated and wise. You should help our village'. Now, I feel I should have come back long ago. Things would have been different,' he said.
The most exciting part of his visit to his childhood village was seeing a road that didn't exist there when he left.
When Tumreti surrendered along with his wife, Sangeeta Usendi alias Lalita, Giridhar had 179 cases against him and a bounty of Rs 25 lakh, while Lalita had 17 cases against her with a Rs 16 lakh bounty. Giridhar joined Etapalli Dalam of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in 1996 and was the head of its activities in Gadchiroli.
The then deputy chief minister who is the present Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, had said during his surrender, 'The backbone of the Maoist movement in Gadchiroli has been broken with the surrender of Giridhar.'