Seven families of Ram Tole and six of Barha Bigaha have abandoned their homes saying the SSB men harassed and threatened them.[break]
“There is always a terror of Indian security persons. We face difficulty even in finding work on daily wages,” said Ram Bahadur Chaudhary of Ram Tole settlement.
“They come here and warn us to leave the place saying the land belongs to India. They have been gradually encroaching on our land over the past few years,” Chaudhary elaborated.
The freed kamaiyas claimed other families are also in search a safe place to live. “The remaining families are staying only because they have not been able to find an alternative,” Chaudhary added.
The locals claimed the SSB men even stopped them from crossing the border to work in Indian towns. The base camp of the Armed Police Force (APF) posted for border security is just two kilometers away from the village. But locals said AFP is least concerned about the problems facing them.
“There is nobody to support us. We could have moved if we were given a choice,” said another freed kamaiya. Parvati Chaudhari, working for the Radhakrishna Tharu Janasewa Sansthan said the SSB men even misbehave with the women of the community going to collect firewood and fodder.
Meanwhile, the SSB men have been pressing the locals since Thursday to hand over the persons who beat up an Indian national. “They came here asking us to hand over the persons who beat up the Indian and threatened to not allow us to cross the border if we don´t hand over the guilty. We don´t know who beat the Indian,” Guduni Tharu of Ram Tole said.
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