Ex-Maoist associate surrenders

PARVATHIPURAM (VIZIANAGARAM): Well-known tribal leader and president of the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS), Nachika Linga (46), who is also known to be a former associate of the CPI Maoists, surrendered before the Odisha security forces at Narayanapatna in Koraput district, a neighbouring district of Vizianagaram, on Tuesday. Linga has been facing more than 40 cases ranging from murder to waging war against the state.
Odisha South-Western range DIG Yeswanth Jethwa confirmed Linga's surrender and said he would be produced before the court as many non-bailable warrants were pending against him. But sources said another three tribals - Kandru, Das Sagaro and Sakru - were also with Linga at the time of the surrender.
The former CPI-ML (Marxist Leninist-Kanusanyal group) party leader had been underground for almost five years since November 2009 following an alleged attack on the Narayanapatna police station, in which two tribals - Singanna and Andru - were killed in police firing. Linga was the main accused in that case. In 2009, when he was denied a ticket to contest in the general elections and his colleague Kenduka Arjun was given the ticket, Linga fell out with the CPI-ML leadership and split the CMAS to lead his own splinter group - CMAS (Nachika Linga) that allegedly supported the Maoists.
According to security forces, CMAS is nothing but a frontal organisation of CPI Maoists in Koraput and Malkangiri districts of Odisha.
Linga went on to top the most-wanted list of AP and Odisha cops for his alleged involvement in tribal agitations for land rights and criminal activities in Koraput and Vizianagaram. After being arrested in 2005 by the Odisha police, Linga was released from jail in 2007 and since 2008 was actively involved in tribal rights agitations, sources said.
According to sources, Linga had earlier made up his mind to surrender after a public meeting at Balipeta in Narayanapatna block in March 2013 and contest as an independent candidate from Lakshmipur constituency in the 2014 general elections, but did not turn up for the meeting as he suspected that paramilitary forces deployed by the government would arrest him.
Even the Maoists disowned Linga when he tried to surrender before the elections alleging that Linga was trying to further his personal ambitions at the cost of tribals.