No bullet, no cry?

In Orissa cops getting no government support are up in arms, reports Dhrutikam Mohanty.

“The government has murdered my husband, not the Maoists,” alleges Jayanti, the widow of Special Operation Group (SOG) constable Chitta Ranjan Pradhan, who was killed in a recent Maoist attack at MV-126 village of Malkangiri district, Orissa. A pained expression crosses her face as she says: “My husband was frustrated with the job and almost lost his mental balance fighting the Maoists for four long years. He made innumerous requests for a transfer. Though his officers promised to honour his request after completion of a three-year stint in Malkangiri, they never kept their promise.”The slain constable was the lone earning member of his four-member family and had married Jayanti – who is expecting a baby in a couple of months – in December 2007. Along with 28-year-old Chitta, 16 of his SOG colleagues lost their lives when the Maoists cadres blew up their vehicle on 16 July.One should not dismiss Jayanti’s allegations as a mere emotional outburst. Her allegations are not far from truth. Just a day after the explosion, a virtual revolt broke out in the ranks, as constables and jawans turned the heat on their seniors. They did not even allow South Western Range DIG Sanjib Panda to pay homage to the slain policemen at Malkangiri. The irate policemen did not stop at that. A group of press photographers and journalists from Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, who had gathered to collect pictures and information, were roughed up and chased away.

When Police Director General Gopal Chandra Nanda reached the Maoist-hit town after the incident, he was greeted by agitated and angry jawans. Without disclosing his name, an SOG jawan stationed at Malkangiri told TSI, “When our colleagues were exchanging fire with the Maoists at the site of the blast, they immediately informed police establishments at Kalimela and Motu for reinforcement of forces, which were just three and 10 kilometres away respectively, but no one responded. This clearly shows administrative apathy and callousness.” The district constables and havildars association presented a demand sheet and the DGP promised to present it to the government. Association president Purna Chandra Panda and secretary Kali Charan Sarangi asked for a helicopter for anti-Maoist operations in the Malkangiri district, a 30 per cent allowance increase, land allotment in a town near where they live now, and posting by choice to a different location after the 5-year stint in Malkangiri. DGP Nanda pacified the constables and assured them of adequate attention.“This demand for a helicopter is not new. We had met the Chief Minister twice earlier and he had verbally given us the green signal. This could have boosted the morale of our forces and created a fear factor among the Maoists. But till date, our demands have not been met. No doubt, lack of infrastructure is crippling our capacity to retaliate. Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand governments have already provided helicopters to their forces, but the Orissa government is still silent,” alleges Sagarmall Sharma, president of Orissa Police Association.