Giridih/Chaibasa: The killing of dreaded Maoist commander Anal Da alias Patiram Manjhi in Jharkhand’s Saranda forests may be a major success for security forces, but behind the encounter lies a deeply tragic human story. It is the story of two daughters who grew up without ever experiencing a father’s love, a wife who spent her life waiting for a husband who never returned, and an elderly mother who learnt of her son’s death through a mobile phone call.
Patiram Manjhi left home nearly 25 years ago, claiming to fight poverty and injustice, but eventually erased his own existence by turning into a hardened Maoist. While he chose the path of violence, it was his family that paid the heaviest price.
From Giridih’s Jharha Village to the Forests of Saranda
Patiram Manjhi hailed from Jharha village under the Pirtand police station area in Jharkhand’s Giridih district. His family includes his 80-year-old mother Barki Devi, father Chhathu Manjhi, wife Shyamli Devi, and two daughters—Rani and Neelu. Barki Devi affectionately called her son “Nunwa.” It was the same Nunwa who left home one day and never came back.
Barki Devi received the news of her son’s death from security forces through a mobile phone call. Speaking in her local dialect, she said, “Nunwa left home and never returned. I heard about his death on the phone.” The elderly woman does not receive an old-age pension, as she does not even have a bank account.
Daughters Who Do Not Remember Their Father’s Face
Patiram Manjhi’s daughters, Rani and Neelu, do not even remember what their father looked like. His wife, Shyamli Devi, breaks down every time his name is mentioned. She says she never got the chance to live a normal married life.
“I could not meet my husband even once in all these years while he was alive,” she says. Their daughters do not remember when they last met their father, or if they ever truly did.
Drawn into Maoist Movement in the 1990s
Villagers recall that around 1990, Patiram Manjhi was influenced by movements against feudal oppression and moneylenders in the region and joined a Maoist organisation. He married Shyamli Devi in 1998, and the couple later had two daughters. Due to his involvement in extremist activities, he was arrested and sent to jail.
After his release, he returned home only to see crushing poverty. According to his wife, in 2002, he left home again, saying he was going out to work, and never returned.
A Crore-Rupee Bounty, Yet Poverty at Home
Although Anal Da later became a top Maoist commander with a bounty running into crores of rupees, his family remained trapped in poverty. Their mud house collapsed, forcing Shyamli Devi to move in with her brothers-in-law. The family survived on farming and daily wage labour. With their support, she raised both daughters and eventually got them married.
Village in Mourning, Daughters Inconsolable
After Patiram Manjhi was killed in an encounter, Jharha village was engulfed in grief as residents waited for his body to arrive. Many villagers had never seen him in person, yet everyone knew his name and his actions. Outside his house, people stood silently, their faces marked by sorrow.
His two daughters were inconsolable. They carry the lifelong pain of knowing that they had a father, but were never blessed with his love. While the death of Anal Da may have brought an end to a violent Maoist chapter, the tragedy left behind raises a haunting question—can the path of guns and bloodshed ever truly change poverty or destiny?
