4 arrested in Odisha for blocking highway to protest killing of 2 ‘Maoists’

A local Congress leader Sarat Buruda said the two killed by the security personnel were porters who worked for cannabis traders because they didn’t get any work elsewhere

Updated on: Nov 14, 2022, 17:12:25 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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BHUBANESWAR: Four people including a local Congress leader Sarat Buruda have been arrested and 19 others detained by the Malkangiri police for blocking the National Highway 326 near Kotameta village in protest against the killing of two men by security personnel last week. The protesters said the two, identified by the police as suspected Maoists, were killed in what they alleged was a “fake encounter”.

Police challenged the narrative that the two men killed in a gunfight were ordinary porters, wondering why they went to the Maoist camp (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The police crackdown comes ahead of the November 18 bandh called by Maoist leaders of the Malkangiri-Koraput border division who released an audio tape in which they insisted that the two men killed by the police on Friday were not their cadre.

Sarat Buruda, a local tribal leader linked to the Congress, led Sunday’s protest in Mathili block of Malkangiri district. He alleged that one of the two persons killed was a 41-year-old man Dhana Kamara who worked as a porter for cannabis traders and the second Jay Kumar Nag of Nabarangpur district.

“Dhana Kamara used to work as a porter for cannabis traders as he could not get any work. He used to earn money by transporting cannabis from one place to another. He has 5 children,” Buruda said, demanding a ₹30 lakh compensation for his family.

On Friday, the Odisha Police said two suspected Maoists were killed in a gunfight with the state’s Special Operations Group when the security personnel retaliated to firing by a group of people in the forests of Atalguda, Malipadar and Badlipahad villages.

Police insist that the group of 10-15 people fired at them and they only fired in retaliation. Police also claimed to have found 3 country-made guns, tiffin bombs, detonators, Maoist uniforms and 10 packets of cannabis near the bodies.

Police officers said the two deceased could be militia members who work for Maoist cadres. “We have recovered guns and some explosive substances from the Maoist camp. As Boipariguda is a known corridor for the cannabis trade, it is possible that the two militia members went to carry cannabis packages for Maoists. If they were ordinary porters, why did they go to the Maoist camp at night,” said a senior police officer of Koraput district who asked not to be named.

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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