Shrinking state

Naxal demands in Orissa included an end to the police’s combing operations and intelligence gathering,the release of Naxalites and Chasi Mulia Sangha members imprisoned in Malkangiri and Koraput,among others. The BJD government has agreed to release 27 prisoners. Yet,the Maoists remain intransigent. According to the audio message sent by the Maoist leader,Aruna,they were entitled to deal with Hikaka at their own pace. This is clear,deliberate humiliation. It has happened because Orissa is still perceived as the weak flank in the campaign against Maoist militancy — between 2006 and March 2012,158 civilians were killed by Maoists. The proposed National Counter-Terrorism Centre,meant to institutionalise cooperation between the Centre and states on internal security,has been opposed by Patnaik.

While the pressure of freeing the individuals taken hostage is agonising,governments end up losing badly in the long run when they negotiate with extremist groups. It signals to insurgent forces that this is the easiest way to break the state’s will. Of all the bargaining chips,the choice of Hikaka is especially ironic. Hikaka,a tribal,had indeed been tested by the people’s court — in a free election. As a legislator,he brought development to his constituency while supporting the administration,much like the young collector,Vineel Krishna,earlier abducted by the Maoists,and Menon in Chhattisgarh. People like Hikaka,Krishna and Menon who stand for a responsive,welfare-oriented state,undermine the Maoist narrative. Maybe that’s why Hikaka’s “trial” is so crucial.