From Gunfire to School Bells: CRPF opens learning centers in conflict zones of Chhattisgarh

NEW DELHI: Four villages in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, which had been a Naxal stronghold, have now seen a turnaround with school bells replacing the sound of guns, thanks to an initiative by the Central Reserve Police Force. The CRPF, which is engaged in anti-Maoist operations in Chhattisgarh, has set up schools for primary children in the four villages as part of an aim to bring education to the people's doorsteps and wean away locals from the outlawed armed movement, officials said.

The facilities, named 'CRPF Gurukul', have been set up in Duled, Mukrajkonda, Tekalgudiyam and Puvarti villages, which were considered as strongholds of Naxalites till January last year when police camps were established there. While Tekalgudiyam witnessed a deadly attack on security personnel in the past, Puvarti is the native of place of dreaded Naxalite leader Hidma, believed to be behind various deadly attacks on security forces in Bastar region.

The places where once slogans of 'Lal Salaam' and bullets reverberated, now the ringing of school bells and chatter of children can be heard, Deputy Inspector General, CRPF (Sukma Range) Anand Singh Rajpurohit told PTI over phone. The four villages were once dominated by Naxalites, but after security camps were opened there in January-February last year, development started reaching these areas, he said. On April 3, 2021, 22 security personnel were killed in a Maoist ambush in Tekalgudiyam area.

Schools set up to provide primary education

On January 30 last year, three CRPF personnel were killed and 15 others injured in an encounter with Naxalites when a police camp was being set up in Tekalgudiyam. "As these villages did not have schools, we decided to open them to cater to the primary school children," the DIG said. The CRPF's 150th battalion has been stationed in Puvarti and Tekalgudiyam camps, and the 2nd battalion in Mukrajkonda and Duled camps.

A one-room set up with tin-shed roof has been laid out for schools adjacent to the camps at the four places and one civilian teacher has been hired for each school having a strength of 50 to 60 students, the official said. Honorarium is paid to the teachers through a fund under the civic action programme provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs, he said. As of now, the schools have classes till standard 5th.

Initially, students have been enrolled for classes 1 and 2 and efforts will be made later to upgrade these facilities till class 12, the official said. Special arrangements have been made for providing uniforms, books, bags, shoes, socks and various types of games like volleyball, football and basketball for physical and mental development of the children in the premises, Rajpurohit said. Various types of charts and boards have been installed on the school walls, and a big television set with a projector is also proposed for each of the facilities, he said.

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Mid-day meal proposal

The local administration's support will be sought for further expanding infrastructure like setting up buildings, toilets and hand pumps in the gurukul premises and introducing the facility of mid-day meal provided in government schools, he said. Asked about any problem faced by the CRPF in enrolling children to these schools, the DIG said villagers have been sending their children "suo-motu" (on their own).

But, there was a bit of a problem in hiring teachers as Naxalites killed a man, who worked as 'Shiksha doot' (temporary visiting teacher) at a government school in the Jagargunda area of Sukma in September last year, and locals were scared, he said.

Education for tribal children

On the idea behind the initiative, the DIG said, "The priority was to first secure the area and then facilitate development. Extending better education facilities to deprived tribal children will help them in getting a dignified livelihood and developing a better understanding about society and the country." Nearly 40,000 personnel of CRPF, the largest paramilitary force, are deployed extensively in south Bastar for counter-insurgency operations.

Following the setting up of police camps, development works were being carried out in these four villages, a district administration official said. Murum (a type of soil) work on the roads connecting Duled, Mukrajkonda, Tekalgudiyam and Puvarti has been completed and the construction will be over soon, he said. While Duled and Mukrrajkonda have electricity supply lines, it is under progress in the two other villages, he said. Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, pipelines have been laid to provide tap water in all four villages, the official added.