In maoist land: A story of deprivation and victimisation

It was half past eight in the morning when we landed at Laxmipur, a small town in the Koraput district of south Odisha. Laxmipur is about 22 km from Narayanpatna, home to one of India's fierce tribal movements led by the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS).

On the way we passed two Border Security Force (BSF) camps–one at Palur between Laxmipur and Narayanpatna, and the other at Podapadar, the striking ground of the CMAS in 2009. Our guide, Anil Subudhi, a local journalist told us that the BSF personnel stationed at Podapadar would verify our identity and purpose of visit. They might even deny us entry into the forest, which was considered the seat of the conflict between the tribal and non-tribal communities, between the armed forces of the state and left-wing extremists.

Conflict results in displacement of Tribal families in Koraput

While movements by tribal people to restore their rights over the land and forest are taking up to extremist ideologies, the tribal people not accepting to such ideas are becoming the worst victims of the conflict and such extremist movements.

Jambuli Maleka, a woman leader of Bandhugaon block of Odisha’s Koraput district and the Naib-Sarpanch (vice-Sarpanch) of Kumbarput Grampanchayat, was a peace loving woman and always wanted to lead development and live with her community. But destiny had something else to offer.

The supporters of the movement led by Nachika Linga, a radical tribal youth heading the Chasi Mulia Adivasi sangh (CMAS), came to the village Kopakhal and asked the villagers to join their organisation and the movement to ensure rights of tribal people on the land and the forest, as claimed by the CMAS and its leader Nachika Linga. The denial of the villagers made their life horrible with atrocious behaviour and continuous torture by CMAS Members.