Maoist ideologue urges Orissa govt to release tribals by June 30

By Ratikant Mohanty

www.indusvalleytimes.com

Bhubaneswar, May 25: Revolutionary poet Varavara Rao on Wednesday urged he Orissa government to release “human rights activists” like Ganti Prasadam, Gananath Patra and Ashutosh Sen and nearly 600 tribal farmers currently lodged in various jails in the state by June 30 or face imminent revolt.

“We met chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday evening and told him to honour his words on dropping cases lodged against innocent tribals and release them along with human scores of tribal rights activists who have been thrown into prison cells on false charges. The chief minister assured us to initiate steps in this regard. If the government fails to act by June 30, the tribals would decide their own alternative,” Mr Rao warned.

He added that the government should expedite the legal process for early release of innocent people who have been framed as Maoist activists.

Chief secretary Bijay Kumar Patnaik, while reacting to Mr Rao’s remarks, said the state government had already reviewed cases against tribals.

“Nine cases where 168 tribals are accused are being processed for withdrawal of prosecution. Besides, 55 other minor offences against tribals are also being considered for withdrawal.” Mr Patnaik said, adding the process was likely to be completed by end of June.

Mr Rao along with Professor G. Hargopal and Mr Dandapani Mohanty, the interlocutors who facilitated release of former Malkangiri collector R. Vineel Krishna from the Maoists in March, met the Orissa chief minister on Tuesday and held detailed discussions on the 14 conditions of the rebels the government had agreed to fulfill.

During the discussion on Tuesday, the state government informed the interlocutors that it had constituted a committee headed by chief administrator of KBK region to look into tribal land dispute and suggest means to restore tribal land, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said.

Before leaving Orissa, Mr Rao and Professor Hargopal went to Jharpara circle jail here and met “Maoist” sympathizers Gananath Patra, Motilal Soren alias Ashutosh Sen and Subhashree Panda, wife of Orissa’s top Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda.

Meanwhile, the Orissa police on Wednesday seized nearly 2.5 quintals of explosives from Nayaranpatna forest in Koraput district.

www.indusvalleytimes.com

Administration in tizzy as Maoists call upon youths to take up arms

By C.B.Singh

Rayagada, Feb. 28: Maoist posters calling upon youths to take up arms to fight against the administration appeared in several parts of Koraput district, sending signals that the rebels were back in their business after the recent nine-day hostage drama.

During the hostage period that began with the abduction of Malkangiri collector R. Vineel Krishna and Kudumuluguma junior engineer Pabitra Mohan Majhi on February 16, both the state government and the rebels reached an armistice pledging not to use force against each other. Ever since, the police has remained calm and Operation Green Hunt has been suspended.

The posters – which appeared in Narayanpatna, Semiliguda and Sunabeda towns – reportedly said that since the state administration had failed to provide jobs to youths – an armed struggle was necessary to obtain the legitimate rights.

The appearance of large-scale Maoist posters come has come as a shock for the district administration and the police as they expected that the rebels would desist from their violence propaganda, especially after the recent assurance by the state government to execute all its promises made for tribal development and not to adopt coercive method while dealing local disputes in the scheduled areas.

Sources said the Maoist frontal organizations, which were until recently keeping a low profile, are out in the open after the state conceded to their 14-point charter of demands during the negotiation process to free the abducted Malkangiri collector R. Vineel Krishna.

Nachika Linga, the leader of Maoist-backed Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh, on Saturday organised a huge peasants rally in Narayanpatna where he called upon the gathering to get united to forcibly free their lands occupied by the non-tribals.

Linga, who is one in the “most wanted” list of the police had gone underground for over two years.

Though the peasants rally marched through Narayanpatna town, the local police did not react to his presence. Instead, it waited for peaceful conclusion of the meeting.

Collector goes missing, Maoists’ hand suspected

Police clueless about Krishna's whereabouts

By Gurudatta Behera

Malkangiri:, Feb.17: Mr R. Vineel Krishna, the district collector of Malkangiri, went missing on Wednesday evening while returning from public relations camp in a cut-off area inside the Chitrokonda reservoir in the district.

The police suspects that Mr Krishan could have been abducted the Maoists.

Malkangiri, located nearly 750 km from state headquarters, is one of the worst Maoist-hit districts in Orissa.

According to reports, Mr Krishhna had gone to attend a Jana Sampark Yatra (public relations camp) at Badapada village under Kudumuluguma block. He was accompanied by District Rural Development Agency project director Balabant Singh, Kudumuluguma block junior engineer Pabitra Majhi and an employee of Paribartan, a local non-governmental organization.

From the Jana Sampark Yatra place, the collector along with Mr Singh, Mr Majhi and the NGO activist left for Papermetla area by motorcycles to monitor implementation of Rajiv Gandhi Vidyutkaran Yojana, a rural electrification programme. On the way they were intercepted by a group of Maoists who took them to forests.

The released the NGO activists and project director of DRDA sending a letter in their hand demanding release of all Naxal cadres from various jails within 48 hours.

Additional director general of police, Sanjiv Marik said all communications with the collector got disconnected soon after he left the meeting place at around 4 pm.

In Cuttack, the state’s police headquarters, director general police Manmohan Praharaj said: “Nothing could be said at this moment. I will reply at the appropriate time”

Southern range director general of police Soumendra Priyadarshi could not be contacted for his comment as his mobile phone answered “switched off.”

Last year, the rebels had killed at least 38 greyhound jawans of the Andhra Pradesh police they were returning from a combing operation atAlampaka near Gudulguma.

Sources said the collector had not taken adequate security forces with him since the rebels never targeted any senior government officials.

Naxals trigger twin blasts, destroy culvert

By C.B.Singh
Rayagada, Dec. 20: Maoist rebels on Sunday night blew up a culvert by triggering two successive landmine blasts at Dhepaguda near Podapadar disrupting vehicular movement between Koraput and Rayagada district.
The intensity of the blasts was so high that the culvert turned into a heap of concrete rubbles and five-feet deep hole was created on the road.
Sources said the ultras, who had killed a local man last week brandinghim as a police agent, triggered blasts to register their protest about setting up of a BSF camp in the area.
The security personnel have cordoned of the area and launched combing operation.
In yet another development, a joint-team of West Bengal and Orissa police arrested three hardcore Maoists from from Jhauri and Telia forests on the borders of the two states.
“Acting on tip off, security personnel from Orissa and West Bengal raided Jhauri and Telia, destroyed a camp run by the rebels and arrested three ultras. Three rifles, 14 live cartridges and 21 gelatin sticks were seized from them,” Mayurbhanj superintendent of police Dayal Gangwar told reporters at Baripada.
Mr Gangawar added that the three Maoist leaders - Kishore, Ranjan and Dipa – who were running the camp – managed to flee the spot.
The arrested ultras were identified as Umakanta Bera of Pachurakhuara and Subash Badhuka of Badatanga villages under Nayagram police station and Rupaka Mahanta of Ramchandrapur village under Jhargram police station in West Bengal.
The SP said the apprehended rebels were Gopiballavpur and Nayangram area of West
Bengal’s West Midnapore district and Suliapada and Chandia area of Orissa’s Mayurbhanj district.
www.indusvalleytimes.com

Rebels kill three persons in Sundergarh

By Debdas Pradhan

Sundergarh, Dec. 6: Maoist rebels on Monday slaughtered three persons, including an elected village ward-member and a non-formal teacher, at Topadihi under K. Balanga police limit.

The victims were identified as ward-member Nuan Munda, teacher Nanjan Munda and Doud Munda.

According to police, a group of red rebels on Monday morning came to Topadihi village and took away Doud Munda with them.

On hearing that the rebels had confined Doud in school building on the outskirt of their village, the residents of Topadihi went there and requested them to release him. Although the Maoist freed Doud, they revisited the village after two hours and again picked him (Doud) up. Besides, they also took away Nuan Muna and Nanjan Munda with them.

In the evening, the villagers were informed that the bodies of the three abducted villagers were lying near the Topadihi railway station. The rebels had killed the victims by slitting their throats.

Sources said Doud was in the target of the rebels as they suspected him acting as a police informer. Similarly, Nuan Munda and Nanjan Munda were in their hit-list as they were leading a pro-administration movement in the area.

Eyewitnesses said the rebels, who are around 60-70 in number, were armed to the teeth with automatic guns and rifles.

The police has started combing operation in that area.

www.indusvalleytimes.com