essay
PAUSE IN THE BADLANDS
1972
1 pages
Summary
The article reports on a temporary lull in the Chambal ravines as dacoits surrender to Acharya Vinoba Bhave. It describes daily gatherings at the designated surrender site, where hundreds of people come to watch, while police and officials negotiate acceptable terms for the surrender and rehabilitation of the bandits. The report notes that Bhave’s 1960 mission led to the surrender of many dacoits, but argues that the present effort faces a more difficult and potentially violent set of gangs.
Key points
- Dacoits from the Chambal region are surrendering to Acharya Vinoba Bhave.
- Large crowds gather daily at the surrender site, while police seek terms that will make the operation acceptable.
- The article contrasts the current gangs with those who surrendered during Bhave’s earlier 1960 campaign.
- Several named bandits are described through their criminal records, alleged murders, and stated reasons for surrender.
- The report links the persistence of banditry to the Chambal region’s difficult terrain, local feuds, land disputes, and revenge killings.
- It presents rehabilitation and the surrender of major gang leaders as central obstacles to ending the violence.
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