Daijiworld Media Network - Raipur

Raipur, Aug 30: In yet another grim blow to grassroots education in conflict-ridden Chhattisgarh, Maoists have brutally murdered Shikshadoot Kallu Tati in the volatile Bastar division, marking the ninth targeted killing of a local education volunteer in recent months. The incident has reignited fears among communities and raised urgent questions about the safety of those working to restore education in Maoist-affected zones.

Tati, posted at the Nendra school in the Gangalore region of Bijapur district, was ambushed on Friday night while returning home. Maoists abducted and later executed him, dumping his body, which locals discovered the following morning. A resident of Todka village, Tati was widely regarded as a committed educator helping bridge the learning gap in an area long deprived of formal schooling.

With this killing, the tally of slain Shikshadoots — young locals recruited to educate children in areas without regular teachers — has reached six in Bijapur and three in Sukma. These volunteers, once symbols of hope in regions slowly reopening schools after years of insurgency-driven closure, are now being hunted by Maoists who see them as agents of the state.

The trend echoes the violence of the Salwa Judum era, when schools were razed and education was deliberately targeted to undermine state influence. While renewed security efforts have allowed some normalcy to return, and education infrastructure is gradually being restored, the recent spate of killings threatens to unravel years of fragile progress.

Police sources describe the attacks as “deliberate and symbolic” — an effort by Maoists to stall development and spread fear. Villages like Nendra and Todka, already navigating daily threats, now face plummeting school attendance as families pull children out of classrooms out of fear.

The government’s Shikshadoot initiative was introduced as a stop-gap solution in areas where regular teacher deployment remains impossible due to security concerns. But with no formal protection, no hazard pay, and little institutional backing, these volunteers are being left to fend for themselves on the front lines of education — and conflict.

The murders have prompted urgent calls from civil society groups and education advocates for immediate intervention. They are demanding increased security near schools, insurance coverage, and specialized training for volunteers operating in red zones.

While anti-Maoist operations have intensified across Bastar — yielding weapons and intelligence — the pattern of targeted assassinations remains unbroken. As the body count grows, so does the fear that without decisive state action, the very idea of education in these remote, underserved regions may once again vanish into the forest shadows.