Will isolation force Nachika to surrender?

Published on:

18 Apr 2013, 12:00 am

The strength of Maoist-backed tribal outfit Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) leader Nachika linga, allegedly involved in nearly 30 Red offences, seems to be on the wane following the surrender spree of Sangh activists. According to officials, while nearly 950 tribals belonging to 22 villages under Narayanpatna block of Koraput district have deserted the outfit in the past four months, as many as about 500 CMAS supporters appeared before the Narayanpatna police to shun violence on Wednesday.

Incidentally, the tribals belong to Dandabadi, Siriguda, Rangamaguda and Kanchanapadu villages, which are considered the epicentre of the Sangh activities.

The trend which started in January this year is presumed to have been triggered by the intensive combing operations by the BSF jawans and District Voluntary Force (DVF) and police personnel.While the operations play as a bottleneck in the downstream flow of information among the Sangh activists, the security personnel adopt certain strategies including avoidance of drastic actions against the sympathising villagers, sources said.

The police, however, believe that since resource mobilisation was the forte of Nachika linga, the current trend witnessing the surrender of above 1,500 CMAS supporters would weaken the presence of both the ultras and the CMAS cadres after the gathering of a momentum against the outfit.

The police are now hopeful of arresting linga, who has been on the run for the last four years. In January this year, the Koraput police had appealed to linga to shun violence and join the mainstream.

“We appeal to all those including linga, who have been misguided by anti-socials, to surrender as the path of violence will lead them nowhere. The administration will help them in every way to settle in life," Koraput SP Awinash Kumar had said.

linga is wanted for his involvement of around 30 Red offences ranging from forcible occupation of around 3,000 acres of non-tribal lands, murder and attacking the Narayanpatna police station in 2009.