And then there were seven of them in the silent hills

A CRPF constable stands guard at Pamunuru village, part of the Karreguttalu hills in Mulugu. After decades in the shadow of Maoist violence, only seven families live near the newly opened CRPF operational base. | Photo credit: RAMAKRISHNA G.

Madvi Kamini spent most of her life listening to the forest.

For years his silence was never comforting. The thick foliage around her house in Karreguttalu Hills could hide Maoist cadres, security forces or landmines buried under the roads. Every knock, every unknown movement and every journey beyond the village of Pamunuru in Mulugu District carried the possibility of danger.

Published – 28 Aug 2026 07:57 IST