Maoist fear keeps Odisha villagers from home

Bs_logoImage
IANS Bhubaneswar
Last Updated : Aug 21 2014 | 1:45 PM IST

At least 18 tribal families have been staying away from their homes in Odisha's Nuapada district for the last one and half years due to the fear of attack by Maoists, police said Thursday.

The residents of Patapani village in the district, nearly 600 km from here, have been living in the houses of their relatives in other villages since February last year after the Maoists kidnapped and killed a school teacher from the village.

Patapani is located in a hilly forested area and one needs to walk about eight kilometres to reach the village, district superintendent of police Umashankar Dash told IANS.

It has a population of about two hundred, mostly tribals, and the residents are divided in to two groups.

While one group is considered to be the supporters of the left wing extremists, members of other group are against them.

The residents who have been staying away from their homes belonged to the group who are opposed to the rebels.

The plight of the residents came to light after they met district collector Jaya Kumar V and sought help from the administration.

"Although we assured them to provide adequate security, none of them want to go back home," Dash said.

The administration will hold dialogue with them for further course of action, he added.

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Smart Quarterly

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

SAVE 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories

  • Over 30 subscriber-only stories daily, handpicked by our editors

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

First Published: Aug 21 2014 | 1:42 PM IST