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.