 MALKANGIRI, ORISSA | RED ALERT - Orissa’s Malkangiri district, consisting of 151 villages, is a Maoist hub. The district borders Andhra Pradesh and is cut off by the Balimela reservoir. It is neither safe nor easily accessible, so officials fear to tread here. The rebels sometimes hold ‘praja courts’ and punish people, branding them as ‘police informers’ . One such court in April 2008 had pronounced a death sentence against Madmaki Kana, the headman of Peta village bordering Chhattisgarh. Kana was shot dead in the presence of villagers. The district is also often in the news for Maoist-sponsored bandhs and landmine blasts. The worst killing here took place on June 29, 2008, when 38 Andhra Pradesh police personnel were shot while returning from a combing operation |
Orissa's Malkangiri district, consisting of 151 villages, is a Maoist hub. The district borders Andhra Pradesh and is cut off by the Balimela reservoir. It is neither safe nor easily accessible, so officials fear to tread here. The rebels sometimes hold 'praja courts' and punish people, branding them as 'police informers' . One such court in April 2008 had pronounced a death sentence against Madmaki Kana, the headman of Peta village bordering Chhattisgarh. Kana was shot dead in the presence of villagers. The district is also often in the news for Maoist-sponsored bandhs and landmine blasts. The worst killing here took place on June 29, 2008, when 38 Andhra Pradesh police personnel were shot while returning from a combing operation
NORTHEASTERN STATES | CLASS STRUGGLE
Students' organisations are all-powerful in the northeastern states. Take the example of Manipur, where student activists have a free run in most of the state, except for greater Imphal and its surrounding areas. In the five hill districts of Manipur, the state government is helpless, unless it chooses to use the brute force of the police and para-military outfits. In the four valley districts, educational institutions have remained shut for the past four months due to a public agitation against extra-judicial killings by Manipur police commandos. The administration forced government schools to resume classes, but private schools continued to remain closed. After protracted negotiations though the last week, the agitators called for resumption of normal life. It is not clear for how long the truce will hold
LATEHAR, JHARKHAND | VIVA MAO
Though a large part of Jharkhand is under the rule of armed rebels of the CPI (Maoist), a small village called Sarju, 125 km from Ranchi, is a 'liberated zone' , off limits for the law. Since 2003, when the police lodged an FIR accusing each resident of Sarju of being a Maoist, they haven't been allowed to step into the village. In April 2009, during the Lok Sabha elections, not a single vote was cast in Sarju. Here, and in adjacent villages, people carrying automatic rifles is a common sight. Maoist posters and appeals to join the People's Liberation guerrilla are pasted all over. Kumandi and Hehegarha in the same district are two other places where the Reds dominate. The only mode of transport here are two trains, which were held up twice by the rebels. Both the stations are cut off from the mainland. Railway tracks in this part of the Coal India Circuit (CIC) line have been blown off several times. And, in an indication of how weak the law of the land is, no arrests were made
PARTS OF ANDHRA PRADESH | HIT & RUN
Until a few years ago, the writ of the state of Andhra Pradesh was not followed in many of its districts owing to the Maoist problem. Now, the Maoists have retreated into neighbouring Chhattisgarh. However, the writ of the state is still not followed in the tribal parts of the north coastal districts like Visakhaptnam. These areas fall under what the cops call the AOB (Andhra-Orissa border), but apart from naming the region in this rather cryptic fashion, the police have not been able to do much in these parts