Securitry forces in Odisha claim to have established ‘domination’ in 70% of the area in Swabhiman Anchal in the State’s Malkangiri district, which was considered a bastion of the outlawed CPI (Maoist).
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of a press conference to announce the State’s biggest ever arms and ammunition seizure in a Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected area, a senior police official asserted that the Maoists’ hold in the region formerly known as ‘cut-off area’ appeared to be crumbling.
“Early January we had launched a big composite operation in cut-off area involving Odisha police, Greyhound Force of Andhra Pradesh, BSF and CRPF,” said Director General of Police Abhay. “It gave us a lot of inputs as to how Maoist extremists operate. The arms and ammunition recovered during the operation was probably one of the biggest seizures made in LWE theatre across India,” he added.
Swabhiman Anchal was considered as a ‘liberated zone’ by the CPI (Maoist) extremists similar to the area in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.
The cluster of 151 villages in Malkangiri district is encircled by water from three sides, while a land mass is connected with neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. About a year-and-a-half ago, the Odisha government constructed a bridge over the Gurupriya River, formally establishing road connectivity to the cut-off area.
In 2008, as many as 39 security personnel, most of them belonging to Andhra Pradesh police’s Greyhound Force were killed in a Maoist ambush in the Balimela reservoir. The Maoist citadel was in the news again in 2011 when Malkangiri district collector R. Vineel Krishna was abducted. BSF personnel were also killed in a landmine explosion triggered by the ultras.
“We have managed to bring 70% of Swabhiman area under our control,” said a senior police officer involved in anti-Maoist operations in Odisha, speaking on condition of anonymity. “Roads are being laid. We will shortly set up a police station at Jodambo village which was under control of the Maoists,” the officer added. The upcoming Jodambo police station would be the second police establishment after Papermetal, currently the sole functional police station in the cut-off area.
Based on voice intercepts as well as intelligence inputs, the security forces had learned that the CPI (Maoist) extremists were on the back foot in the area, the officer asserted.
As per the seizure list, an INSAAS light machine gun, three INSAAS rifles, three carbine sten guns, SLR rifles, pistols, 202 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, LMG magazines and explosives were among the weapons recovered. The arms haul is said to be major jolt to the Maoists in this area.
The composite operation code-named Swabhiman was conducted between January 8 and 13. During the period, security personnel kept vigil round the clock. A total of 32 teams had participated, with force movement guided by GPS-based technology. Since the area was small there was a real risk of security personnel losing their lives in ‘friendly’ fire incidents.
The operation was aimed at providing security coverage in the cut-off areas for road construction, an activity that was opposed by the Maoists. Connectivity in the area is expected to bring development to the remote area.
The composite operation had also instilled a sense of self confidence in the local tribals who, on January 25, picked up a rare brawl with the Maoists, who were opposing development projects.
According to the police about 300 CPI (Maoist) cadres are active in Odisha with a majority of them, about 200, coming from Chhattisgarh. Some 30 or so ultras are believed to be from Odisha, while the rest are from Andhra Pradesh.
