150-strong militia of CPI (Maoist) surrenders before Odisha Police

Police keep at Ghar Wapsi initiative as public sentiment in Swabhiman Anchal takes a turn

Road construction works going on inside the Swabhiman Anchal (earlier cut-off area) in Malkangiri district of Odisha. File photo | Photo Credit: Biswaranjan Rout

About 150 active militia members of Ralegada gram panchayat in Swabhiman Anchal, a former bastion of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), surrendered, said Malkangiri Police on Monday.

The surrender was before the Superintendent of Police, Malkangiri and Border Security Force at Janbai Company Operating Base (COB). The militants pledged to abhor violence and help the government in all public welfare activities. These villagers also brought down a memorial built by Left Wing extremists.

This was in continuation of the surrender of 50 militia members before the Director General of Police on June 2 at Jantri COB and another instance of surrender of 295 members on June 11, the police said.

According to Malkangiri Police, this is part of the Ghar Wapsi initiative of the Odisha Police. “The interior and LWE (Left Wing Extremism)-affected villages are mainstreamed. We are instilling confidence in people to ensure they approach district police and administration to give an impetus to development process,” they said.

The district police and BSF distributed sports kits, sarees and other clothing items, while the district administration organised and distributed job cards, made them aware of different government schemes in agriculture and livelihood-based schemes.

Tilt in power equation

On August 15, people in Swabhiman Anchal (previously known as Cut-Off area) damaged memorials of LWEs, which was unheard of few years ago. Senior police officers said the power equation has clearly tilted in favour of security forces, while LWEs lost their holds from the region.

Malkangiri is one of the worst affected districts where CPI (Maoist) violence is concerned in the country. The Swabhiman Anchal used to be bastion for LWEs. The region was encircled by a 62-km-long water channel (backwater of Balimela Dam). The remoteness of Swabhiman Anchal helped extremists to develop the place as a safe haven.

During the past few years, security forces including BSF and Odisha Police, made steady inroads into their bastion and dominated the area by creating road network and implementing developmental programmes. Now, Odisha Police is out to destroy the support group of CPI (Maoist).