BSF detects two ammunition dumps in Malkangiri forests ahead of polls next month

A BSF officer said 7 single barrel muzzle loader guns, tiffin IEDs of 5 kg, hand grenades and hundreds of fragmented steel balls have been seized

Published on: Apr 18, 2024, 22:31:37 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Bhubaneswar: The Border Security Force (BSF) on Thursday detected two ammunition dumps of Maoists in Malkangiri leading to the seizure of guns and explosives a month before Odisha votes for the Lok Sabha and simultaneous assembly elections in four phases beginning May 13.

A BSF officer said 7 single barrel muzzle loader guns, tiffin IEDs of 5 kg, hand grenades and hundreds of fragmented steel balls have been seized.

The officer said the two ammunition dumps were spotted during a joint operation conducted by several BSF units in Malkangiri’s Bejangiwada reserve forest area. “The team found the Maoist dumps, side by side, concealed within rock cavities nestled in the forest of Kalimela area of the district. The Maoists must have kept the arms dump to engineer violence during polls,” said a senior BSF officer.

Malkangiri district, which is part of Nabarangpur Lok Sabha constituency, goes to polls on May 13 along with Koraput, Kalahandi and Berhampur Lok Sabha constituencies.

The detection of the ammunition dump comes weeks after the District Voluntary Force of Odisha Police seized 190 gelatin sticks and improvised explosive devices including one weighing 20kg in the same area.

This is the third explosive dump of the Maoists to have been detection in Malkangiri since February this year when Border Security Force found three pressure cookers, 20 metres of Cordex, 24 gelatine sticks and 2 bundles of electric wire.

Odisha DGP Arun Sarangi who visited Malkangiri district last week said polling booths would be located in villages instead of BSF camps in Malkangiri this time as there have been no reports of Maoist violence in the region over the last 18 months.

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