Maoist threat: Is it possible to ensure smooth rural polls?
Monday, 16 January 2012 23:14
DEVELOPMENT DEFICIT
BY SUDARSHAN CHHOTORAY
The Maoist insurgency, which started its journey in the mid-sixties from Naxalbari in West Bengal, later engulfed Srikakulam-Gunupur area in AP-Odisha border causing killing of thousands. Down the line, the movement has spread in many parts of the country and caused massacres in which the red rebels, police and anti-insurgency forces besides civilians have been killed. Between 2001 and 2011, more than 6,000 people have lost their life. All it needs is to enter into a ceasefire and speed up development activities only to percolate it down in the grassroots.
Despite tall claims of the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD Government of Odisha projecting itself as a number one State in the country for providing 4,72,391 acres of forest land to 2,92,500 tribal families under Scheduled Tribe and Other Tradition Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, Maoist violence in the State seems to have continued unabated.
When the State is gearing up for the three-tier Panchayat elections and filing up nominations has ended, the Maoists have gone in a killing spree. Junus Pradhan, leader of the ruling BJD and Chairman of Daringibadi block in Kandhamal district has been arrested on January 9 for his involvement in the land mine blast occurred on January 5 and his alleged link with the Maoists. Two days later, his prime associate contractor Somantah Pradhan has been arrested in connection with the landmine blast. Somanath was supposed to file his nomination papers for the Samiti member seat of Daringibadi gram panchayat as a BJD candidate.
Apart from this, with the electioneering gaining momentum, the security of the people’s representatives has been a cause of concern for both the Government and the representatives themselves. The State Election Commission has already asked the State Government to provide PSOs and security personnel to Ministers, MPs and MLAs of the 19 Naxal-affected districts. Of the 20 Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs from these districts, as many as eight have been provided PSOs. Similarly, 43 MLAs out of 90 representing from the 19 Maoist infested districts have yet not been provided with complete security cover. This has been necessitated following the killing of a sitting MLA Jagabandhu Majhi from Umerkote in Nabarangpur district on September 24, 2011 allegedly by the Maoists. Of late, police have released the sketch and a local court has issued non-bailable warrants against two most wanted Maoists Jane Salem and Satyam Ghabade in connection with the killing of the MLA and his security man.
The very first week of January 2012 witnessed four Maoist incidents of violence in four separate districts Koraput, Kandhamal, Ganjam and Baragarh. On January 6, armed rebels killed Kadraka Enkana, a tribal of Elanga Walas village under Maoist infested Bandhugaon block in Koraput branding him as a police informer. Just a day before, the same rebels had triggered a powerful landmine blast to blow an anti-landmine vehicle on Kotagada-Srirampur road in Kandhamal, which killed three constables and three other police personnel were critically injured.
On January 3, the guerrillas set ablaze at least three mobile towers in Borada and Gaudagotha villages under Baragada Police Station in Ganjam. The ultras had also held blockade on Nuapara-Bargarh Highwayfor 26 hours on January 2 to mark their State wide Bandh call. The call was given to commemorate the celebration of People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Week. All these happened despite the plan for preparation of joint command operation in parts of southern Odisha, which was just scheduled to begin. For this, the State DGP and CRPF DG with top brass of the Odisha police, BSF and COBRA were out in Koraput on New Year’s Day to take stock and strategize a joint operation.
Interestingly, the State Government data shows the reverse trend. It revealed that Maoist violence has somehow declined in 2011 in comparison to 2010. Latest review by the State police administration said Odisha had witnessed 130 number of Maoist incidents in 2010 which has come down to 94 in 2011. Similarly, 53 civilians were killed by the ultras in 2010 whereas in 2011, only 31 people were killed.
Likewise, 22 security personnel fell victim to the red rebels in 2010. There has been a sharp decline of landmine blast by these left wing insurgents in year 2010. They had planted 37 blasts whereas in 2011 it was only 12 incidents. Besides these, the number of surrenders increased from 44 in 2010 to 50 in 2011. So is the number of seized arms and ammunitions: 47 guns/rifles were seized by security men in 2010 which rose to 125 in 2011. Similarly, landmines fell to 77 from 255.
However, the Maoists have succeeded in spreading their tentacles across the State. After their hold in the industrial belts like Rayagada, Keonjhar, Jajpur, Dhenkanal and Angul, now they are eying for another industrial rich district Jharsuguda through Barapahad hill range of Baragarh, which spreads to Chhattisgarh and parts of Sambalpur, Hirakud and Jharsuguda.
The Union Government has already decided to raise two more battalions of BSF and to deploy 7 more helicopters in the anti-Maoist operation.
These two additional battalions will be posted in Odisha and Chhattisgarh. This will increase the strength of total paramilitary deployment in States engaged in anti-Naxal operation to 93,000.
Latest report by the MHA has said the activities and violence of the Maoists in the country have noticed a decline. They remained limited to only 64 districts of 8 States which spreads to 270 Police Stations.
The organisation suffered setback at the ambush and combined strength of the State police and paramilitary forces. The Maoists are said to be in retreat as 23 of their 37 members, Central Executive Committee members and 7 out of their 14 Politburo members have either been arrested or killed by the security personnel in various State locations.
Of late, it has been revealed from intelligence sources that dreaded CPI(Maoist) party is planning to hold its party congress sometimes later in this year either in Odisha or Jharkhand to reorganise the party, organisational structure and PLGA, its military wing. Joint forces in various States have been alerted to keep a close eye on the movements of the senior leaders.
The PLGA week is being celebrated every year by the Maoists. Intelligence sources said the Maoists are now planning to convert these forces to People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Koraput town in south Odisha is still in a state of shock. In one single stroke on February 6, 2004, the then banned People’s War (PW) demonstrated why it is arguably the most deadly guerrilla force in the country. It emptied the entire district police armoury here. The tally of weapons lost at the end of the Naxalite raid that lasted over three hours was: over 303 rifles, 35 guns and over 20,000 rounds of ammunition. But apart from the loss of weapons, the attack struck a telling blow to the morale of the State police. And in few years later, the Nayagarh armoury also was looted by the Naxals on February 15, 2008.
The most shocking and daring among the acts of Maoists in Odisha was the kidnapping of district collector of Malkangiri R Veenel Krishna on February 16 last year. And they could bargain with the Government to release some of their senior but dreaded militants and fulfillment of their 14-point charter of demands.
In independent India’s history, only one other State -Assam- has had the dubious distinction of losing an entire armoury to a militant raid. That was in the early 1990s when Bodo militants confiscated 70 weapons, including light machine guns, from an armed police battalion headquarters.
The Odisha Government and State Election Commissioner have taken some tough measurers for the smooth conducting of ensuing Panchayati Raj elections. Police and paramilitary forces have been re-deployed in many areas, special branch and intelligence units have been pressed into service, search and manhunt for wanted Naxals are on, sensitive booths have been identified in at least 20 Naxal-affected districts.
The writer is a senior freelance journalist
PUBLISHED IN THE DAILY PIONEER ON 17TH JANUARY 2012
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