The Silent Family of Karigaon
On Sunday, after attending the Sahid Bosco Chermaco memorial prayer service with AASAA president Rejan Horo and Isac Lakhra, I journeyed to Karigaon—a village scarred by violence.
Bosco Chermaco was a courageous leader of the Adivasi Students’ Association (AASAA). He was brutally killed by armed miscreants, and his sacrifice has been honored by declaring him a martyr of the Adivasi society. His memory continues to inspire the struggle for justice, dignity, and unity among our people.
(Mr. Loturu Murmu(45) and his wife, Mrs. Dulhom Hemrom(38), are both deaf and mute)
Just weeks earlier, on 19 January 2026, miscreants had descended upon Karigaon, burning homes, looting livestock, and stripping families of their food and dignity. By the time we arrived at 4 p.m., a group of villagers stood waiting, their faces etched with both pain and hope. Mr. Mithun Murmu welcomed us at the roadside and led us into the heart of the community. Women and children greeted us warmly, their eyes searching for reassurance, their smiles fragile yet resilient. Their homes were gone; in their place stood makeshift shelters of tin sheets tied together—symbols of survival amid devastation.
Among them, I met a family whose story pierced my soul. Mr. Loturu Murmu(45) and his wife, Mrs. Dulhom Hemrom(38), are both deaf and mute. Yet, despite their silence, their lives speak volumes. They have three children—Omit(13 cl IX), Janli(9 cl VI), and Esterm(6 cl II)—healthy, bright, and eager learners who continue their schooling with determination. As I stood before their charred remains, one question haunted me: Why would anyone burn the home of a family who cannot even raise their voices in protest?
Cruelty knows no bounds. In the same village, two differently-abled men, Joseph Hembrome and Somir Hemrom, suffered as well. Joseph was half-burned in the attack. To target the disabled, the voiceless, the defenceless—this is not human behaviour. It is a betrayal of humanity itself.
On 20 January, Loturu and Dulhom’s home was reduced to ashes. They sought refuge in a relief camp for a few days, but their longing was simple: to rebuild, to return, to live with dignity. Donors have provided food, tin sheets, and medical support, including from Mariwala Health Initiative. Yet rebuilding is a mountain too steep for them to climb alone.
That is why PAD-MHI has resolved to stand with them. Through community initiatives, we will help reconstruct their home—not just with bricks and tin, but with solidarity, compassion, and the belief that even the most vulnerable deserve safety and respect.
Karigaon’s silent family reminds us that resilience is not always loud. Sometimes it is found in the quiet determination of parents who cannot speak, but whose children carry their dreams forward. Their story, alongside the martyrdom of Bosco Chermaco, is a call to conscience: to reject cruelty, to embrace humanity, and to ensure that no voice—spoken or silent—is left unheard.