Maoist menace: 75 people killed in the state in 2010

As per official records, 61 people were killed by the rebels in 2009 whereas the security personnel eliminated only 12 Maoists last year as compared to 20 in 2009.

Further, comparative figures suggest that 28 civilians were killed by Maoists in 2009 and 53 civilians were killed in 2010 which signifies ascent in civilian casualties. 

The white paper further said the number of Maoist-affected districts climbed to 19 as compared to 16 in 2009.

In terms of law and order situation, the crime rate has increased in 2010, the white paper said.

The incidents of murder, rape and torture have shot up among other crimes. While, the number of crime cases registered has increased by 0.05 per cent, the murder cases have increased by 4.6 per cent in 2010.

As per records, 1,308 murder cases were registered last year. Murder cases have increased in Ganjam, Rourkela, Anugul, Balasore, Puri, Bhubaneswar, Nayagarh, Bargarh, Rayagada and Jagatsinghpur in comparison to 2009.

Likewise, 1, 025 rape cases were registered in 2010 out of which charge sheets have been filed in 587 cases. Similarly, there has been significant rise in dowry cases as 3831 cases were registered in 2010. Out of these complaints, 15 allegations turned out to be correct, 32 misleading and 17 cases were filed in malafide intention. Surprisingly, 58 per cent cases relating to dowry torture are still subjudice.

As the industrialization process has slowed down to some extent due to several reasons including green hurdle and stiff opposition from locals, the white paper said that Maoists have been instigating local people to oppose proposed mega projects in the region.

Meanwhile, Opposition parties have criticized the government as last year saw rising trend in police-agitators clash. 

“The crime rate has increased significantly across the state. The intelligence agencies and vigilance department have failed in every respect,” leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh alleged.

“The law and order situation in the state is under control. The Maoist situation is not confined to state rather it is a national problem. If we compare with other states, the law and order situation is under control,” Parliamentary Affairs minister Raghunath Mohanty said.

It may be mentioned here that the state government allocated Rs 6046. 81 lakh in 2010 towards modernization of police force. Besides this, the state government also took several steps including setting up of unified command and deployment of security personnel in Maoist-affected areas to curb Maoist menace.