Deepak Mahato
Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Feb 3: The Left-wing extremism has suffered a setback in Orissa as the CPI-Maoists are relegated to a few pockets in view of anti-insurgency operations. The cadres are trying to regain their ‘lost ground’ in the state.
The banned outfit has asked its commanders in a brochure to focus on day-to-day problems of the common man and follow the guidelines for the cultivators to regain the trust of the people in rural districts. The decisions were taken in the fourth central committee meeting held at an undisclosed location bordering Orissa-Chattisgarh during the 14th People Liberation Guerilla Army anniversary.
Regular intelligence-based anti-insurgency operations launched by the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) and state police have restricted the movement of the Ultras to the forests of Kalahandi, Nuapada, Kandhamal, Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Gajapati and Ganjam districts bordering Andhra Pradesh and Sundargarh, Sambalpur and Deogarh bordering Jharkhand. Earlier, Maoists had a considerable presence in at least 20 Orissa districts.
According to the ‘strategy’ adopted during the fourth central committee meeting of the Maoists, the Reds have decided to regain their lost ground in Orissa. The Reds have found out several irregular practices being followed by middle and junior level leaders leading to loss of faith among the villagers in interior pockets of the state.
Senior Maoist leaders have also expressed concern over the policy initiatives like job schemes and surrender policy being taken up by the state government. The Maoists, however, see the going tough in view of regular anti-insurgency operations launched by the joint security forces and new combing camps set up in the past few years. The fear of being killed in anti-insurgency operations and lucrative surrender policy of the state government has forced the Ultras of various ranks to surrender to the police in the past few years.
The booklet guides the Ultras to strictly follow norms of guerilla warfare and violation of guidelines are stated to have led to the fall of many cadres in the hands of security forces. At least 90 armed guerillas including 10 from Orissa have been killed in encounters with the joint security forces in 2014. The commanders have been directed to make area-wise strategies, organise programmes involving villagers to protest government programmes, provide arms and ammunition to the cadres to target at security forces.
The outfit has decided to teach Maoist ideology for its cadres. The commanders have been directed to involve the common man in kangaroo courts and other programmes.
