Chhattisgarh polls: Fear looms in Maoist heartland ahead of elections

By Parivesh Mishra Raipur: A rumour, or any rumour for that matter, is accorded respect in the interiors of the Maoist-affected regions of Chhattisgarh. It’s considered a safe option in a climate saturated with fear. Thus, the success of the voting process here would depend a lot on how effective these rumours are at the time of the election. Bastar and Rajnandgaon go to polls on November 11, in the first of the two-phase election in the state. [caption id=“attachment_1178199” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image of Naxals. PTI image[/caption] If the polling percentage goes beyond 60 percent, which was the case in 2003 and 2008, the election commission could consider it a victory. Polls without incidents of violence would be another feather in its cap. However, things might be difficult this time. Fear is thick in the air. It would be the most important factor in deciding the response to the calls – to ‘come out and vote’ given by the election commission and ‘boycott, or else’ by the Maoists. The genesis of fear has to a lot to do with what has been happening in the area in the recent past and the efficacy (or the absence of it) of the state and particularly the police in responding to it – as seen and perceived by the villagers. Sample what has happened in the very recent past: The Collector of Sukma district in Bastar was abducted in broad daylight. His two armed security guards were killed before they could fire a shot. The Superintendent of Police of Rajnandgaon was killed along with 70 policemen. No Naxalite was harmed. A convoy of the Congress leaders accompanied by their armed PSOs and the Z-plus security team assigned to the slain leader Mahendra Karma was attacked in Darbha. Thirty leaders and security persons were killed in the incident. No Maoist was reported to be killed or injured. Mahendra Karma was known to be in the hit list of the Maoists for a long time. He had escaped many attempts on his life earlier. Several of his close relatives were not so lucky. Following his killing on 25 May this year, a threat from the Maoists to the Karma family to leave their village within a week became public. Chief Minister Raman Singh assured the widow and the family of safety and announced Z-plus security cover for them. It took four weeks for the deployment of this cover. Last month this Z-plus security cover was again in the news when the Karma family made a hue and cry over the absence of it. The entire force deployed for their round-the-clock security was found missing for nearly a week. Investigations revealed the policemen could not leave the district headquarters of Dantewada as the administration had failed to procure fuel for their vehicles for five days. After the Darbha killings, the state Home Minister Nanki Ram Kanwar appealed to all political leaders to be more vigilant. The security cover of all the MLAs of the state was looked at again (read enhanced). Yet, a cousin of the state Forest Minister Vikram Usendi was shot dead by the Maoists on 31 July. The MLAs and other political leaders in Bastar who had long back left their villages and moved to the block or district headquarters, started gravitating to Raipur, the state capital. Amidst all the talks of security of the ministers, MLAs and other leaders and workers, the issue of safety of the ‘Aam Aadmi’ – the villager - figured nowhere. The announcement of election schedule, however, necessitates the leaders’ journey back – to the people – and more specifically to the villages where they live. The state, as expected, has promised security to all (read political leaders and officers on election duty). The sitting BJP MLA from Jagdalpur, Santosh Bafna, perhaps knows the worth of the word of the police to protect better. In his own innovative way, he has gone ahead and bought life insurance covers for 200 of his party workers for Rs five lakh each to campaign in his constituency. The state election authority has sent a proposal to the Election Commission to airlift polling teams “due to huge security and logistical challenge in the region”. A very senior police officer of the state, SRP Kalluri is on record stating before the Chhattisgarh High Court that the writ of the state does not run in a part of the geography in Bastar area. People, however, still live there. The state expects them to believe the police force would be at their beck and call in case the Maoists “trouble” them. The fear is contagious. In distant Raigarh district where the Maoists, a recent entrant in the area, killed one suspected informer in a village Karramal, perhaps to mark their arrival, panic spread in no time. Last fortnight a daily from Raipur carried news that the villagers around Karramal have received threats from the Maoists against taking part in the election. After three days the follow-up news said the villagers, in pursuant to the threat, have decided to boycott the elections. It turned out to be totally fabricated news. But the veracity of it was never challenged by the reader who like the villagers in Bastar “accorded the rumour with respect”.