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.