From a Naxal hotbed that lay between a critical junction of Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to a State that has pushed Left Wing Extremism (LWE) to the fringes and ushering in development in areas that were long under the hold of the ultras, Odisha’s is a success story that has come through various stages of learning, re-learning and strategic innovation by its police force over last 20 years.
The Naxal insurgency started in Odisha in late 1960s and by the beginning of 2000s, the red rebels were well-entrenched and calling the shots. The unprecedented attacks on Kalimela and Motu police stations in 2001 and armories of Koraput and Nayagarh districts in 2004 and 2008 respectively were a wake-up call for the State Government and its police force.
The Government was ill-equipped, like other Naxal-affected States back then, to handle such insurgencies as it neither had adequate manpower, credible intelligence or robust infrastructure to check the growing menace of LWE. The Government also did not have the support of tribals in the Naxal affected districts due to lack of development activities in the region.
In 2007, the Odisha Special Security Force (OSSF) comprising over 700 retired defense personnel was formed to guard important installations like armouries, jails and police stations in the Naxal-affected districts of the State. Though the Government had set up Special Operation Group (SOG) and Special Intelligence Wing (SIW) of Odisha Police in 2004, the two specialised units existed merely on papers and did not have any teeth to tackle the red ultras.
Alarmed over the rising incidence of Maoist violence, Odisha Police closely followed the tactics of Greyhounds, an elite anti-Naxal force of Andhra Pradesh formed in 1989, and replicated its approach to penetrate into the red zones of the State.
Start of the process
SOG and SIW units were strengthened after the Nayagarh attack and anti-Naxal operations have since then being carried out exclusively on intelligence and source-based information to inflict maximum damage on the strategies, plans and bases of the red rebels operating out of the State. The government also focused on imparting anti-extremist training to its personnel to take on Naxal violence. Odisha Police personnel were earlier sent to Greyhounds for training.
However, the State Police Force now has its own anti-extremist tactics training centres in Bhubaneswar's Chandaka and Koraput. The anti-extremist tactics training, by now, is mandatory for the directly recruited officers of Odisha Police. Even the police personnel of other States are undertaking anti-extremist tactics training at SOG Centre in Chandaka to enhance their counter-insurgency expertise.
District Volunteer Force, Odisha Special Striking Force (consisting of ex-servicemen), four Special Security Battalions and nine India Reserve Battalions were also set up to combat the Naxalites in the State. Apart from establishing special units, the Government also inducted tribal youths as special police officers in 2008.
However, after the Supreme Court declared Chhattisgarh's Salwa Judum, a militia of local tribal youths, as illegal and unconstitutional in 2011, the Odisha Government disbanded its SPOs programme. In 2013, the Government formed Odisha Auxiliary Police Force (OAPF) and recruited over 4,000 tribal youths as constables.
Decisive push
In another decisive push by to make major inroads into the Maoist citadel, Gurupriya Bridge was inaugurated in Swabhiman Anchal, once known as the cut-off area of Malkangiri district, in 2018. Built at a cost of Rs 87.25 crore in a record time of four years in Chitrakonda, the 910-meter long and 8.4-meter wide bridge provides vital connectivity to 151 villages spread over nine panchayats with a population of 30,000 tribals that were cut-off from the mainland for the last five decades.
Conceptualised in 1986, the construction work for the bridge actually started in 2014 after several failed attempts due to technical challenges and threats from the left wing extremists. Development of infrastructure, fortification of vital installations and enhancing manpower at vulnerable establishments led to a noticeable drop in left wing extremism activities in the State.
Deployment of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF) battalions also witnessed a significant rise in the last two decades under Centre's Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme. From just one battalion in 2001, CRPF currently has deployed eight battalions in Odisha. BSF also has eight battalions in the State. Each battalion comprises six companies and each company consists of about 96 personnel.
About 90 per cent security camps in Odisha have now helipads to meet any contingency and to implement the government's strategy of going deep into the interior regions of the State. Night landing capable helipads in six places - Malkangiri, Hantalguda, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput and Rayagada districts will soon be operational. These helipads are fitted with sensors and infrared-enabled features which automatically guide a chopper when it is approaching.
The helicopters are fitted with the same type of sensors that help the pilots in recognizing the landing ground.
"Availability of natural light is one of the most important factors due to which choppers are either delayed or sorties cancelled leading to huge resentment among ground troops. The night landing capable helipads will act as force multiplier and in case of injury, the security personnel can be evacuated to the nearest hospital for immediate treatment," senior officials of Odisha Police point out.
Apart from carrying out strategic anti-Naxal operations, the security personnel are conducting frequent outreach programmes to earn the trust and confidence of the tribals staying in the far-flung areas of the State.
Strategic moves
Most of the company-operating bases of the security forces provide medical assistance to locals in the Naxal-affected districts. BSF also launched a boat ambulance for the people of Swabhiman Anchal of Malkangiri on the occasion of Republic Day this year.
The facility was launched with an aim to help the 10,000-odd residents of over 35 villages near Balimela reservoir in the cut-off area. A majority of these villages do not have road connectivity which makes it difficult for them to access ambulance services. In case of health emergencies, they carry a patient on slings or bamboo stretchers through forest areas to reach the mainland.
State Government's generous surrender and rehabilitation policy, which includes financial assistance, providing skill development training and houses to the Maoists, is also encouraging ultras to lay down their arms and join the mainstream, he added. Last year alone, 21 Naxals surrendered, as many had laid down their arms in 2020, 13 in 2019, 27 in 2018, 26 in 2017 and 31 in 2016. As the government started regaining Naxal affected areas, Jajpur,
Dhenkanal, Keonjhar, Mayurbhanj, Gajapati and Ganjam districts were removed from SRE scheme in 2018 while Angul, Boudh, Sambalpur, Deogarh and Nayagarh were taken off in 2020.
Only 10 districts are currently designated as LWE-hit - Bargarh, Balangir, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Rayagada and Sundargarh. The number of civilians killed by red ultras and security personnel martyred during anti-Naxal operations in the last five years also point to the considerable success achieved in Odisha Government’s anti-Naxal operational strategy.
Last year, two civilians were killed and one jawan was martyred as compared to seven civilians and two jawans in 2020 and 10 civilians and one jawan in 2019. In 2016, the numbers were 23 civilians and three jawans. By now, the operational bases of Naxals has reduced and as has the number of cadres in operation. About 250 Naxals are active in Odisha and out of them less than 25 are natives of the State. Notwithstanding the success, SOG, SIW and the police in these parts never let their guard down.