PHULBANI: IBI Mallick continues to mourn. It has been six years since he lost his wife to the bullets from the security forces but the wounds have not healed. They never will, for the families of the five villagers whose lives were snuffed out on that fateful night.
The remote village in Kandhamal’s Baliguda block received abundant attention for its backwardness but very little has changed ever since. The initial days of response from the State has dried out even as a second panchayat poll draws close since the tragic incident. The district reverberates with activity but only despair remains for Gumudumaha.
On the night of July 8, 2016, members of the anti-Naxal force of Odisha Police fired at what they thought were Left-Wing ultras, during an operation. Only that it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity. Five lives including that of a child were lost and eight villagers sustained injuries.
After the incident the State government sanctioned ex gratia of Rs 9 lakh to the next kin of each deceased, Rs 50,000 to the injured and Rs 10,000 to those who suffered minor injuries. The incident also brought to fore the abysmal lack of amenities to the village because there was no pucca road, electricity or drinking water supply to Gumudumaha. A worried administration provided pucca houses to 18 affected families under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana. To make the village accessible, Rural Development department started construction of an 11 km road from Kurtamgarh to Gumudumaha. The village got electricity connection and an overhead water tank with 10,000 litre capacity.
Now, power supply is erratic and hence, the overhead tank does not get filled due to low voltage, says Bibi. Out of five tube wells, three are not functioning, villagers say. The construction of the concrete road has not been completed yet.
As part of rehabilitation, one member each from the families of deceased and injured was engaged in Bataguda and Kurtamgarh High Schools (under SC & ST Development department). The jobs given to kin of the victims continue to be on temporary basis and many complain that they do not get their salaries regularly. Villagers Dulara Mallik, Sunita Digal, Lutu Mallick, Banamali Mallick, Kamanti Mallick, Sahalu Mallick and Damayanti Mallick demand that their jobs be regularised.
Since residents of Gumudumaha had to be dependent on Kurtamgarh PHC – located 11 km away - for health services, they wanted a health centre but that has not materialised yet. Demand for a mobile tower has also gone unheard.
Due to non-availability of irrigation, paddy cannot be cultivated all year through which compels them to go out for livelihood.
Their demand for justice too has fallen on deaf ears. The State government had assured to fix accountability on those responsible for the firing. A judicial commission headed by the then District Judge Mohammed Ajmal was formed to probe. An SIT was also constituted with an SP-rank officer of Human Rights Protection Cell for investigation but both the reports have not been made public yet.