We still haven't woken up....We still are in the dream that we are safe and will remain safe because we stay in metros and no Naxalite can ever come in here and attack us.1

Empathising with the enemy

We still haven't woken up....We still are in the dream that we are safe and will remain safe because we stay in metros and no Naxalite can ever come in here and attack us. If Qasab and his friends can come in from a different country and kill hundreds and injure many more, then can't the Naxals who have been staying in our very own country, come in, attack us, kill us, injure our families? The chances of the latter happening have increased. The recent attack on a passenger train coming to Mumbai has proved how prone we are to such attacks. Sad but true, we can be killed by a bullet fired from any Naxal from his AK-47 or any other sophisticated weapon, and still won't realise or accept the fact that the terror is right next door.u00a0
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Last week after the attack, while talking to one person who has worked in the areas infested by Naxals, I realised the fear is more than what we actually think it to be. The areas, which already have a vast Naxal population, are becoming smaller for them and the young breed of Naxals are moving towards other alternate areas. This area also could be your or my neighbourhood ufffd it could be a building or a slum next to you.

The Naxal population is on the rise and the new crowd that has joined in is more vicious, and are carrying out violent attacks. Most of them are students, college drop-outs and tribals from Chattisgarh. One needs to understand before we ask the government to kill every one of them: just because they are holding guns, just because they have been staying in the forests and are fighting against a state that doesn't care about them. Is it justified?
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These men and women, who turn to Naxalism, might not understand what Mao or Lenin meant, but they understand hunger and the atrocities committed against them. When I say wake up, I don't mean carry a gun and kill anyone whom you think is a threat. What I mean, is force the government to find a solution for this problem.
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u00a0Get them jobs, get them dignity and let there be peace, can't we ask the government to do such small things so that we can be safe?