2 Maoists killed in gunfight after SOG team comes under fire in Koraput: Police

Senior Odisha police officer Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao said the incident took place when the SOG was out on an anti-Maoist operation under Boipariguda police station

Published on: Nov 11, 2022, 21:49:28 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Two suspected Maoists were killed on Friday in a gunfight with the police in the forests of Koraput district after the Special Operations Group came under attack, police said.

Police said three country-made pistols have been seized from the spot close to where the two bodies were found (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The bodies of the suspected Maoists were found in the Malipadar forested area under Gupteswar gram panchayat in Koraput district’s Boipariguda block on Friday morning, said deputy inspector general of police (south-western range), Pandit Rajesh Uttamrao said.

“Based upon reliable information, a team of SOG conducted an anti-Maoist operation in the forests of Atalguda, Malipadar and Badlipahad villages under Boipariguda police station on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. During this time, the team came across 10-15 Maoists camping in the vicinity of Malipadar village. On seeing the SOG jawans, they started indiscriminate firing due to which the team had to retaliate in self-defence,” said the police officer.

Police later found three country-made guns, tiffin bombs, detonators, Maoist uniforms and 10 packets of cannabis near the bodies. Police said they are still trying to identify the identity of the two deceased.

The Human Rights Protection Cell of Odisha police later lodged a case with Boipariguda police station.

Last month, a woman Maoist cadre was killed in an exchange of fire with a police team in Sindhi forest under Baliguda sub-division of Kandhamal district.

Eight suspected Maoists were killed in gunfights with security personnel in 2021, down from 17 deaths in 2020.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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