Maoist fear drives village guards to quit post

Recent killing of two colleagues hastens decision

Fear of action from Maoists have driven many village guards in the naxal-infested southern Odisha districts to resign from their jobs.

About 35 village guards or gram rakhsis have already put in their papers and around 700 more are preparing to follow suit, if reports from these backward tribal dominated districts are to be believed. Ten guards have tendered their resignation in the last 24 hours.

What has prompted the gram rakhsis to quit their jobs is constant threat from the Maoists operating in southern districts like Koraput, Malkangiri, Rayagara and Nowrangpur through posters and pamphlets warning the guards to quit the police jobs.

There are also instances of the red rebels threatening their(the village guards’) family members indirectly putting pressure on them.

The recent killing of two village guards by the Maoists has turned the matter worse. Both killings have taken place in the tribal-dominated Koraput district.

The two murdered village guards have been identified as Bhagaban Nayak and Gaura Chandra Dalei. While Nayak was shot dead in Giriput village, Dalei was murdered in Dashmantpur village. After killing the home guards, the Maoists left hand written letters near their bodies threatening other village guards of same consequences if they did not stop helping the police.

The government’s failure to accept their demands has also become a major cause of resentment among the village guards operating in the southern districts, particularly in Koraput. Soon after the killing of the two home guards, the Koraput District Gramrakhsi Association demanded a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of each of the two murdered guards besides a government job for one family member. However, the government is yet to accept the demands.

  Meanwhile, security arrangements have been beefed up in all the Maoist infested districts in the state in view of the Maoists People Liberation Guerilla Army week which began on Sunday and will continue till December 8.