Malkangiri: Villagers of the Swabhiman anchal in Odisha’s Malkangiri district celebrated their Victory Day on Wednesday to mark their victory over the Maoists and free the region of red terror two years ago. Several government authorities and police personnel attended the celebrations on the occasion.
The midnight of January 25, 2020, was a historic day for the villagers of the Swabhiman area in the Chittagong Block of Malkangiri district as on this day they started a revolt against Left Wing Extremists (LWE) in the region for the first time.
On the night of January 25, the villagers of Jodambo, Anthrai and Sindhibadi attacked a group of Maoists fearing an attack by the red rebels. In the ensuing fight between the villagers and the Maoists, Adama, a member of the Kudumulugumma Area Committee and a Maoist cadre, were killed, while the villagers captured a Maoist ACM cadre named Gipro and handed him over to the police.
In retaliation, the Andhra-Odisha Special Forces led by Maoist CCM Uday and SJCM Krishna alias Sarathi attacked the villagers in Jodambo, Anthrai and Sindhibadi. Armed Maoists from the Malkangiri-Koraput Badar division of the zonal committee not only attacked the villagers but also set fire to their houses and motorcycles. Nevertheless, the villagers united themselves to resist the onslaught of the Maoists fearlessly. They raised their voice against the Maoists violence in the region.
The villagers protest against the red menace in the region was the result of continuous efforts by the Odisha Police and para-military forces to eradicate the extremists’ influence in the area by establishing new security camps to curb the Maoists’ activities.
At the same time, the Odisha government launched a slew of development works for the uplift of the people in the Swabhiman region. What is significant is that having succeeded in their mission to get rid of the Maoist menace from the region, inhabitants of the Swabhiman area were once again able to return to the mainstream. Marking their independence from years of terror, they celebrated their victory by hoisting the national flag.
Since then, the villagers pledged to ensure that their independence from Maoist terror is ever-lasting. Truly so, since that day in 2020, Naxals were unable to enter the area to reestablish their reign of terror. No villager was killed or house burnt in Maoist violence. On the other hand, the anti-Maoist movement gained strength with the passing of each day. The villagers of the Swabhiman area are aware that their fight against the Maoist would not be easy, but they are determined to keep their hard-earned victory intact in years to come.
