Orissa tribals lead a coerced life, as Maoists want them to join rebellion

MALKANGIRI - Residents of Malkangiri district of Orissa are leading a fearful life, as the Maoist are compelling these tribals to join them against the system.

The tribals say in the name of their development, the Maoist rebels have been attacking government policies as well as the government establishments, which is in turn affecting them.

They say that till a few years ago they used to live freely and communicate with each other without any barriers, but today they do not even venture out of their houses after dark.

Kemo, a local resident, stated that the rebels come to their village frequently and force their children to join their group.

“The Maoists come to our village and force us to give our children to them. How can we do this? Our area is deprived of government facilities; no doctors come here. We, the people, living in hilly areas are facing a lot of problems due to this. That is why the Maoists are active in this region. The police officials also don’t visit this area frequently, which proves helpful the Maoists,” said Kemo.

He said security forces’ presence can prevent such incidents of Maoists’ atrocities.

Locals say that by the time the Central government takes some action to curb the violence, the Maoists will destroy the whole area.

“People are scared as you see the Maoists are killing the contractors frequently in these areas. Recently, they killed a contractor in this area. They have also killed the government officials that include a Block Chairman, a village head, and a prominent Bharatiya Janata Party leader in this district,” said B Mishra, a local resident.

The Maoists have spread into rural pockets in 20 of India’s 28 states and their crusade has upset business prospects worth billions of dollars in mining and allied industries.

Thousands have been killed in the Maoist insurgency, which began in the late 1960s, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has warned the rebels have managed to retain support among a cross-section of society, and remain the country’s biggest internal security threat. (ANI)