Will

According to officials, while nearly 950 tribals belonging to 22 villages under Narayanpatna block of Koraput district have deserted the outfit in the past four months, as many as 600 CMAS supporters appeared before the Narayanpatna police to shun violence on Wednesday.

Incidentally, the tribals belong to Dandabadi, Siriguda, Rangamaguda and Kanchanapadu villages, which are considered the epicenter of the Sangh activities.

The trend which started in January this year, is presumed to have been triggered by the intensive combing operation by the BSF jawans, district voluntary forces (DVF) and the police personnel. While the operation plays as a bottleneck in downstream flow of information among the Sangh activists, the personnel adopt certain strategies including to do away with drastic action against the sympathizing villagers, sources said.

Police however believe that since resource mobilization was the forte of Linga, the current trend which witnessed the surrender of above 1500 CMAS supporters will weaken the presence of both the ultras and the CMAS after the villagers started gathering a momentum against the outfit.
Police are now hopeful of arresting the CMAS president, who has been on the run for the last four years.

In January this year the Koraput police appealed Linga to shun violence and join mainstream.

“We appeal to all those youths, including Linga, who have been misguided by anti-socials to surrender as the path of violence will lead them nowhere. The administration will help them in every way to settle in life," Koraput SP Awinash Kumar had said.

Linga is wanted for his involvement of around 30 Red offences ranging from forcible occupation of around 3000 acres of non-tribal lands, murder and attacking Narayanpatna police station in 2009.