Naveen Patnaik

Bhubaneswar, May 12: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today challenged the contention of the Union home ministry that the Odisha government had failed to take requisite measures to check the spread of Maoist activities in the state.

Referring to a communication from the Union home ministry to the state’s director general of police, Naveen told newspersons: “The matter was reviewed in detail at a meeting chaired by the chief secretary and attended by officials from the Border Security Force and Central Reserve Police Force, here yesterday. It has been found that the allegations are not correct.”

“A reply will be sent to the home ministry on Monday pointing out the defects in its letter,” said the chief minister.

A central advisory sent last week had said: “Odisha is the only state of India where activities of the CPI(Maoist) are spreading to new areas at an alarming rate without requisite counter measures by the state government.”

At present, 19 of the 30 districts in Odisha have been declared Maoist-hit.

Projecting that Odisha would overtake Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand in terms of Maoist violence and influence within three years, the Centre had asked the state government to rework its strategy.

Odisha had been in the news in the weeks following the abduction of two Italian nationals and a BJD legislator by the Maoists. The state government was forced to suspend anti-Maoist operations and release a few rebels to facilitate the release of the hostages.

The home ministry was of the view that while the Maoist influence was decreasing in other states, it was increasing in Odisha.

The central government’s communiqué said the presence of armed Maoist formations was reported in districts bordering Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, and there was also movement of armed ultras in Odisha’s western and northern districts.

The Centre also expressed its concern over the resurgence of the Maoist front Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh, an organisation widely believed to have been floated by the Maoists, which had demanded withdrawal of security forces at public meetings in Koraput.

The Sangh has gained control over Narayanpatna in Koraput district, which has almost turned into a Maoist liberated zone. In the recent panchayat polls, candidates of the Sangh were elected uncontested as other candidates did not dare to contest.

The Sangh was alleged to have had a hand in the abduction of BJD legislator Jhina Hikaka and had dictated terms for his release.

In November last year, Union home minister P. Chidambaram and Naveen had had a heated debate over the scale of Maoist violence in the state.

During his visit to the state, the Union minister had noted that Maoist violence was high in Odisha despite deployment of about 10,000 central armed forces.

“Odisha should learn a little more from other states and the Centre...the state administration and the police should gain mastery over the situation,” Chidamabaram had told reporters here.

“The number of casualties of civilian and security forces stands at 48 by the end of October. By end of the year, it may go a little beyond 50. This is an unacceptably high level of casualty,” he had said.

Naveen, however, had claimed that there had been a decline in Maoist-related casualties in the state in comparison to previous years. “We have made much progress on the Maoist front,” he had said.