Ranchi: There is intense political activity in Jharkhand regarding the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
There is enthusiasm among the voters also amidst the stormy rallies.
Those who vote for the first time are also excited.
Ramlal Rai of Dumka is also included in these.
At the age of 33, he will vote for the first time.
At an early age, he deviated from the mainstream and joined the Naxalite squad.
After serving ten and a half years of imprisonment, he is breathing in the open air.
He is living with his family and supporting them by farming.
In the seventh phase in the country and fourth and final phase in Jharkhand, elections are to be held in Dumka, Godda and Rajmahal on June 1.
Earlier he used to wander around.
Therefore, his father Late Badri Rai had taken him with him to the Naxalite squad, so that he could keep an eye on him.
This is what 33-year-old Ramlal Rai, who has returned to the mainstream away from Naxal activities, has to say.
Ramlal is a resident of Bada Sarupani village of Kathikund block of Dumka district.
Ramlal also regrets the loss of life due to Naxal activities.
On July 23, 2023, he was released from jail after serving ten and a half years of imprisonment.
Now returning to the mainstream, he is supporting his family by farming.
He will vote for the first time on June 1 in Dumka regarding the Lok Sabha elections 2024.
Ramlal Rai said that getting some employment would make it easier to run the family.
He said that he had joined the Naxalite squad in the year 2006.
This will be the first opportunity for him to exercise his franchise by voting in the Lok Sabha elections.
Ramlal said that there were a lot of problems while being associated with the squad.
Wandering from here to there, there was no place to eat or stay.
Many times he thought of returning home, but due to many pending cases, he did not have the courage to return home.
In the month of February 2013, Ramlal was caught by the police.
During this time, his wife Deepika Murmu, who was involved in Naxalite activities, and his one and a half year old daughter were also present with him.
The wife came out of jail after 4 years.
Presently Ramlal is living his life by farming in his village along with his wife, his son and a daughter.
Ramlal said that there is a need to develop means of irrigation in the village so that we can do farming throughout the year.
To strengthen democracy, he appealed to the people to participate in the great festival of democracy and vote.
Ramlal said that there were not one or two but 17 cases against him.
In one case (Arms Act), he was sentenced to two years imprisonment, but in 13 cases he was acquitted by the court.
There are still three more cases.
Two cases are related to Dumka and one from Pakur district.
Ramlal Rai, who was behind the bars for a long time, regrets that Naxalism devastated his family.
Father Badri Rai also had to go to jail.
The father had come out of jail and was still in jail, when brother Sahdev Rai alias Tala was killed in a police encounter.