A visit to a remote place, an overnight stay and the review of government programmes sounds like a routine affair for any IAS officer. But for R. Vineel Krishna, Special Secretary to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the night stay at the Badapada government facility in Swabhiman Anchal in Odisha’s Malkangiri district last week — his first time after a 12-year gap — was something emotive, yet meaningful.
Mr. Krishna’s return to the very place from where he was abducted by armed cadres of CPI (Maoist) on February 16, 2011 finally revealed the transformation which he had hoped to bring about as a young collector of the Maoist-affected Malkangiri district.
The 2005-batch IAS officer, who was part of a high-level official delegation comprising Development Commissioner Anu Garg and 5T Secretary V. K. Pandian, was served food by young members of self-help groups inside Swabhiman Anchal, once a bastion of left-wing extremists (LWEs).
Transformation model
The people of Swabhiman Anchal, who were earlier perceived as sympathisers of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist), seemed to interact with the senior officers without any fear, as they aired their grievances and gave suggestions for further improvement in the region.
“Swabhiman Anchal should be a model of how transformation can be brought in,” said Mr. Krishna.
Back in February 2011, his abduction had set the stage for a nine day-long negotiation between the Odisha government and left-wing extremist-backed interlocutors, bringing the entire administration to its knees. The whole country watched the developments, given that a kidnapping of an IAS officer by CPI (Maoist) cadres was previously unheard of.
Nine-day abduction
The alumnus of IIT Madras has had first-hand experience of the magnitude of underdevelopment in Swabhiman Anchal, the erstwhile ‘Cut-Off Area’, as he had been frequently shifted from one place to another by his kidnappers, mostly by foot.
“I had gone to witness something — a historic moment in Silgumma village on February 16, 2011 – the first such village in that zone to have got electrified after decades of darkness. Soon after the event, my abduction had taken place. Prior to the incident, I had been to the region a dozen times with a belief that civilians are not harmed by CPI (Maoist). I was proved wrong,” said Mr. Krishna, recollecting the incident.
Isolated Maoist citadel
The ‘Cut-Off Area’ in Malkangiri district is an isolated stretch of land, spanning about 900 sq. km., created by two major reservoirs constructed in the 1960s and 1980s at Machhkund and Balimela respectively. With large water bodies on three sides and tough terrain on the other, the region has nine gram panchayats and a population of around 35,000 to 40,000. The ‘Cut-Off’ tag refers to its absolute remoteness.
“The Cut-Off region used to be the bastion of CPI (Maoist). It was a challenge for security forces to venture into the region – a sort of headquarters for CPI (Maoist)’s Andhra-Odisha Border Zone. The underdevelopment and absence of administration favoured them to strengthen their position,” said Amitabh Thakur, Additional Director General of Police (Operation).
Multiple attacks
The first recorded violence in the area had taken place on December 20, 1998 when six Odisha State Armed Police Force personnel were attacked at Janbai. In 2008, 37 highly trained Andhra Pradesh Greyhounds personnel were killed when they were ambushed near Alampakka in Balimela Reservoir.
The Maoists have killed 51 security personnel, including 37 Andhra Pradesh Greyhounds, seven Border Security Force jawans, four Odisha Police personnel, and three Gram Rakhis. More than 50 civilians have also been killed by the Maoists in the region. Apart from the fatalities, the abduction of the then-Malkangiri collector features high on the list of Maoist attacks.
Breaking the isolation
The turning point came on July 26, 2018, when the Odisha CM inaugurated the Gurupriya Bridge over the Balimela Reservoir, ending the isolation of the region. Mr. Patnaik renamed the region as ‘Swabhiman Anchal’, which means Self-Respect Zone, and announced a special package of ₹100 crore under the SETU (Socio-economic Transformation and Upliftment) scheme for the development of this Maoist stronghold. He subsequently announced an additional package of ₹115 crore for a mega piped water supply project. More mobile towers in the area have also helped the residents of Swabhiman Anchal join the mainstream.
The construction of the Gurupriya Bridge facilitated an increase in security forces in the region to conduct anti-Maoist operations and provide security cover for the people. Company Operational Bases were also established in the area.
Development wins
“As infrastructure of Swabhiman Anchal got better, development programmes were pumped in and the security forces won the confidence of the people, LWEs retreated. Swabhiman Anchal does not have a cadre of LWEs now,” said Anirudh Kumar Singh, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Special Intelligence Wing, Odisha.
To further consolidate the gains, Operation Ghar Wapasi was launched in Swabhiman Anchal in mid-2022 to completely sanitise the area from Maoist influences and integrate the people into the State’s social and developmental mainstream. More than 3,200 active militia personnel and supporters have surrendered and joined the social mainstream in 2022 alone. Before that, in 2021, Operation Khoj was launched to recover the CPI (Maoist)‘s weapons and explosives dumps.
When asked whether he was scared to revisit the region where he was once kidnapped, Mr. Krishna said, “Swabhiman Anchal has come a long way from the erstwhile Cut-Off area. I have myself adopted Badapada High School. During my stint in Odisha Mining Corporation, I had taken a lead to distribute 7,000 mobile phones in all households, enabling students to read online during the COVID-19 pandemic. During my abduction, I remained unharmed because the people backed me. Development is the answer to the remoteness of any region. Swabhiman Anchal is a bright example.”
