In this article, we bring to you Antrik Suraksha Seva medal awardee Anish Bentaka's journey from serving the nation in Naxal-affected areas to making it to IIM Bangalore. Read on to know more about his inspiring journey!
“Raging bullets, grenades on one side. Lives of 500 soldiers who believed in me and waiting for my command on the other side. Victory in war or saving the lives of my men? What should be my trade-off?”
Anish was one of the youngest offices in CRPF at the time of his induction into service. His first posting was in the Sukma district of Chattisgarh. Sukma district is a part of Red corridor. One of the most Naxal-affected and most militarized districts in the country. As a 24 yr old officer, he was given the responsibility and control of 150 resources and an area of 60 square kilometers which covers almost 35 villages. Every village is Naxal impacted. Last state highway was laid 30 years ago.
One of his assignments was to counter the insurgent forces and motivate villagers to reunite with the government. At the start of the project, only 3 villages were part of the government zone. In the span of 1.5 years of this project, he has witnessed 30 IED blasts, 5 encounters and immeasurable injuries and cries. He is the one who believes in StB(Sticking to Basics) - identifying the root cause of the problem and thinking of solutions either using common sense, statistical data or from others' experiences. He was able to socialize and mingle with the native villagers as a commoner and gather key information. He was able to improve the contact's base and ensure they get accurate information about the whereabouts of Naxals.
Intense groundwork helped him understand their problems, ground level issues which made him to convince authorities and concerned departments to provide basic facilities to these villages. This made the villagers trust the government and their battalion. The preparation helped them conquer and capture most of the Naxal threatened villages.
In another similar assignment, out of 35 villages under his control at the start, implementing a similar strategy and plethora of ambushes, 28 villages were free from Naxal activities. With the help of local volunteers, developed check dams across the region and helped in creating agricultural employment with the help of local politicians, diverting the population from extremism to self-dependence and employment. He and his team received Special Commendation Disk from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
In 2019, National elections, 7 of the villages that were not under government control earlier were included in the plan for organising general elections. As the in charge of these districts, he and his team co-ordinated with authorities from State, Center, Greyhounds and ensured to enfeeble the plans of counter forces. He was honoured with Antrik Suraksha Seva medal for successfully organizing general elections without any loss of life and material.
As he wanted to expand the horizon and apply his key value StB to the corporate setting and apply the learnings, he joined the one-year MBA(EPGP) at IIM Bangalore. The fulltime Executive Post Graduate Programme in Management (EPGP) is an intensive one-year residential programme created specifically for professionals with remarkable track records and 5 to 12 years of work experience in a wide range of industries.The current batch of 2023 encompasses professionals with diverse profiles and fascinating stories. The most successful, resolute professionals who have excelled in their careers with unwavering track record are handpicked through rigorous screening processes (GMAT, WATS and interviews) and each individual carries a record of experiences which makes the learning process even more enriching.