Intellectuals hail it; poor tribals feel ‘headless’
The arrest of Maoist Sabyasachi Panda has evoked mixed response in Gajapati district with intellectuals hailing the police action while many poor and downtrodden people, especially tribals, feeling that they will now suffer a lot as their “protector’s” absence.
Intellectuals by and large point out that since Panda was involved in killing many civilians and security personnel in the district, his arrest was inevitable and is welcome.
However, tribal people of R Udyagiri and other parts of the district expressed concern over their future from exploitation by Government officials and PRI members.
“We are being exploited a lot by Government officials and public representatives. Due to the threat from Sabyasachi to the concerned authorities, our development was streamlined. Now with his arrest, we feel we have become headless,” said many tribals.
Sources said Panda allegedly murdered six persons in the district while more than 30 cases, including torching of the R Udyagiri police station, are pending against him in different police stations in the district.