Gajapati, Orissa:
The Central government might be all set to launch a crackdown againstMaoists across the country, but the operation is not going to get localsupport in states like Orissa - not because people support the Maoists,but because they see the police as a more repressive force.
NDTV travelled to the tribal belt of south Orissa where ordinarypeople, caught in the crossfire, turn against the police and thegovernment - a situation that ultimately helps the Maoists. .
This memorial in Kutunigonda, a remote tribal hamlet in Gajapatidistrict, tells a sorry tale about why poor tribals in Orissa haveturned against the state. It was built by an angry villager whose onlyson Junesh was shot dead, not by Maoists but by the CRPF.
"They said he was a Naxalite and killed him. I decided to use the Rs10,000 I had got towards his funeral expenses to build this memorialfor him," explains Isaac Badaraioto.
Last November, Junesh and his cousin Cornel were shot at whilereturning home from the forests nearby. Cornel still lives in fear."The police keep coming here and accuse us of being hand in gloves withMaoists and offering them food. That's why we live in fear all thetime," says Cornel Badaraito.
A sense of fear, bordering on paranoia, is palpable in Isaac's smallhamlet. "We don't have anything to do with them but the police brandsus as Naxalites. Out of fear we do not dare move out of our village. Weare not scared of tigers, wolves or snakes. It's the police we fear themost," he says.
This is one of the most neglected areas of Orissa and fertile groundfor indoctrination by the Maoists, who often visit the villages, talkto people, and then disappear into the forests.
"There are no roads, no bridges, no hospitals, drinking water orschools. Naturally Maoists come here to motivate our people. No oneknows where they come from and where they go but the villagers who havenowhere to go face the wrath of the police," explains John Dalbehera,Sarpanch of the Panigonda Panchayat .
Malkangiri, Koraput and Rayagada are no different. The police admit collateral damage is unavoidable in anti-Naxal operations.
The Naxalite movement is has grown from within the population. There isno clear demarcation between the enemy and non-enemy. The major problemthat we face is the local militia, which is growing in the tribal area.There is always a danger of collateral damage in such kind of operationbut we are trying to keep it to the minimum," says Prakash Mishra, DG,Operations.
When the Centre launches its offensive against the Naxals, its forceswill have to pay the price for the deep alienation between the policeand the people. And Maoists will benefit from that.