650 Maoist Supporters Surrender In Odisha
650 Maoist Supporters Surrender In Odisha
admin
Bhubaneswar: In Odisha's Malkangiri district, over 650 active Maoist supporters, including over 350 militias and village committee members, surrendered to police troops.
According to sources, the majority of them are members of local village committees and the Chetana Natya Mandali, a cultural group associated to the banned CPI (Maoist) in Swabhiman Anchal in Malkangiri district, which was formerly a Red corridor cut off from the rest of Odisha.
On Saturday, Naxal sympathisers surrendered in the presence of DIG South West Range Rajesh Pandit, Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Nitesh Wadhwani, BSF DIG Sailaendra Kumar Sinha, and Commandant 9th Battalion, Chitrakonda, Sunil Kumar Minj at Jantapayi (Papermetla).
Surrendering Maoist supporters from rural villages in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh used to aid the banned outfit's cadres in carrying out attacks on security forces and civilians, among other violent actions.
Before surrendering on Saturday, sympathisers sang "Maobadi Murdabad, Ama Sarkar Jindabad" and burned Maoist literature, effigies, and uniforms worn by cadres of the banned party.
With the launch of various development initiatives in the region, the Swabhiman Anchal, which includes 182 villages, is witnessing a rapid turnaround.
The completion of the Gurupriya bridge, which connects the region to the rest of Odisha, has aided in the growth of these Malkangiri villages. According to a senior police official, people now have access to electricity, drinking water, and other fundamental necessities.
Furthermore, medical facilities and a cell network are available in these settlements, and many inhabitants have turned to pisciculture to supplement their income.
It should be recalled that hundreds of Maoist followers surrendered to authorities earlier this year in Swabhiman Anchal. According to a police official, many more people are considering 'ghar wapsi' in the near future.
