Poll to PR bodies held despite Naxal activities

BHUBANESWAR: Fifteen persons, including two security personnel, were killed by Left Wing ultras in 52 incidents in 2007.

The Home Department white paper on the law and order situation in 2007 said election to the three-tier panchayati raj institutions was completed in free and fair manner even in Naxal-infested districts despite the violence and call for poll boycott.

Of the Left Wing ultras, the CPI (Maoist) is very active in Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Sambalpur, Sundargarh, Deogarh and Mayurbhanj while the CPML (Janashakti) has its presence in the industrial belt of Keonjhar, Jajpur and Dhenkanal.

Naxal violence in the State is comparatively less than the neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar. The ultras killed 295 persons including 145 security personnel in Chhattisgarh, 104 including eight security personnel in Jharkhand, 31 including, two security personnel in Andhra Pradesh, and 49 including 19 security personnel in Bihar last year.

The security personnel were, however, successful in arresting 121 Naxalites. Prominent among the arrested are Platoon-22 commander, Jharkhand, Ramchandra Bhagat alias Ganju, Malkangiri divisional committee chief Srinivas alias Nabin, secretary of Sundargarh-Sambalpur-Deogarh zonal comittee Damodar and commander of the same zonal committee James.

The State has adopted a two-pronged strategy to effectively combat the Naxal violence. While security has been upscaled by formation of special intelligence wing, special operation group, special security wing, two India Reserve Battallions and four special security forces, tribal youth in the Naxal-affected areas are being educated not to join the Naxalites.

The Government has taken special measures to restore their land rights and ensured that the poverty alleviation programmes reached the targetted people.

Besides, constant endeavour is made to improve the infrastructure facilities in the tribal areas for better economic growth, the white paper said.