A woman who lost her husband in the Bhelwaghati massacre weeps while recalling the incident and (right) 11-year-old Rashida Khatoon shows her bullet wound. Pictures by Shahnawaz Akhtar

Bhelwaghati (Giridih), Sept. 10: This is one 9/11 that has not stolen headlines the world over. But the fear and apprehension that the Naxalite massacre a year ago triggered at Bhelwaghati is no less than the tremors that spread around the world after the twin towers were crushed into Ground Zero.

“We do not leave our houses after sunset; not even to the mosque to offer namaz,” said Bihari, a resident of the village, about 85 km from the district headquarters, betraying the terror the rural folks suffer even a year after the Naxalite massacre.

On the night of September 11, 2005, the extremists had butchered 16 villagers, including 10 members of the gram suraksha dal — a security unit comprising local residents who keep vigil during the night. The massacre has left an indelible impression on the minds of the people.

“Since then we stopped night vigil in the village as no youth was ready to join the gram suraksha dal,” said Ibrahim, the sole survivor of the security unit.

The terror apart, villagers have even stopped sending children to schools or going to the forest to collect wood for datun, which is used as toothbrush.

Perhaps 11-year-old Rashida Khatoon is the best example of the deep-rooted dread that haunts the villagers a year on. Ask her about the incident and she breaks into tears even today. The rebels had butchered the child’s father and a bullet also struck her leg in the ensuing mayhem.

“While American President George W. Bush took extreme steps to combat terrorism after the 9/11 attacks,” said Rajdeep Gupta of a citizen’s council, “the government of Jharkhand did not take any significant step to either eliminate the fear of the villagers or to develop the area and lead a sustained war against the red menace.”

He also pointed out that the region is considered one of the most backward areas in the state. Located on the border of Bihar and Jharkhand, the village lacks even basic amenities like water, electricity and roads. “This only helped the extremists,” Gupta said.

Though chief minister Arjun Munda, home minister Sudesh Mahto had met the families of the victims and announced a compensation of Rs 2.5 lakh, besides jobs, the families have only received Rs 1 lakh. Moreover, only four families were offered the promised jobs though members from 16 families were killed. The duo had also promised roads, a community hall, a panchayat building, two bridges and a permanent police picket to the villagers along with houses under the Deen Dayal Awas Yojna to the 253 families.

However, a year after the massacre, houses for 105 families and a contingent of 60 JAP personnel are the only traces of the promises. And as politicians are playing out a high-voltage drama in the state capital over the hot seat, lives of the residents in this nondescript village continue to be shrouded with terror.