Teenager Maoist Jagari Baskey’s mother Gouribari at home on Monday. Picture by Amit Datta

Bogdoba (Bandwan), Jan. 2: When the 16-year-old girl left home to go to a fair and never returned, some neighbours may have drawn the obvious conclusion.

Three years later they know better: the girl who would win every fight with the village boys had joined the Maoists’ action squad.

At 19, Jagari Baskey is a crack shot, an expert with AK-47s, and is feared by police for her ruthlessness.

“Teen bachhar agey meye amar bari chhere chole gachhey mela dakhar naam korey? aar phirey asheni. Kothay achhe, kemon achhe janina (Three years ago, my daughter left home saying she was going to a fair. She never returned. I don’t know where she is and how she is),” said Gouribari Baskey, Jagari’s mother, as she sat in her co- urtyard having her lunch of rice and dal.

Police aren’t convinced. To them, Bogdoba is synonymous with Jagari and they are frightened to enter the village set in a dense forest. “How do we know she or her associates do not frequent the village?” an officer said.

“There was only one woman among the 50-odd Maoists who killed CPM leader Rabindranath Kar at Bhomragarh last Saturday. Our sources have confirmed she was none other than Jagari,” an IB officer said. Kar and wife Anandamoyee were burnt alive at their home.

“Jagari helped others sprinkle kerosene and petrol in the room before setting the house on fire. She beat up Kar’s daughter Chandana,” a police officer added.

Chandana said: “A masked, tall, dark and slim wom- an wearing black trousers and jacket threatened to kill me if I didn’t leave the room. She was issuing orders and the men were all listening to her.”

The little hamlet of 30 poor tribal families has “Kalididi’s” (Jagari’s) admirers, too. “We never saw a braver woman. She would chop off a chicken’s head in seconds. What would horrify us is that she would splash the blood on her hands after dressing the chicken,” said Subrata Murmu, 20.

“She is famous for her brutality. This has also made her a favourite with the Maoist brass,” an IB officer said. “She is chief of their women’s brigade. We know some of the other names: Anu, Jamuna, Suchitra, Shova.”

Jagari’s elder sisters ? Sabita and Manjuri ? are married.

Gouribari has no idea what her daughter does. “Police come quite often to ask where she might be. What can I tell them?” Does Jagari send money? “No.”

She adds: “Ja achhey kopaley? morle ami ki thekate parbo?” (Whatever will happen, will happen? I cannot save her from death.)