Maoist killed in Odisha encounter, say police

Senior police officials said the local police received an input about Maoists’ presence and their camp in Nunkhari forest at Madakapada under Mudulipada police station area of Malkangiri and launched an operation

Published on: Jan 31, 2021, 16:55:24 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A day after Maoists killed two civilians in Kandhamal district, a combined team of Special Operations Group and District Voluntary Force killed a suspected Maoist in a forest in Malkangiri district late Saturday night.

Soon after the forces reached the area, the Maoists opened fire at them. In the ensuing gun battle that last for around 3 hours, a Maoist was killed. (Representative Photo)

Senior police officials said the local police received an input about Maoists’ presence and their camp in Nunkhari forest at Madakapada under Mudulipada police station area of Malkangiri and launched an operation. Soon after the forces reached the area, the Maoists opened fire at them. In the ensuing gun battle that last for around 3 hours, a Maoist was killed.

“We found the body of a Maoist in the camp along with a pistol and a rifle. There were several other items in the camp. We can identify the deceased through surrendered Maoists,” said inspector general of police(operations) Amitabh Thakur.

In a separate development, two of three villagers in Kandhamal district who were abducted by Maoists on suspicion of them being police informers were released.

Police said Rauta Majhi and Gobinda Majhi of Gumu village under Belghar police station area were picked up by Maoists on Saturday along with one Debendra Majhi. On Sunday morning, Gobinda Majhi and Rauta Majhi were released. Gobinda Majhi was brutally thrashed by Maoists.

On Friday night, Maoists in Kandhamal district had killed two men (one of whom was the son of a BJD leader), accusing them of being police informers. The Maoists killed Bhabani Shankar Patra and Hemanta Patra after waking them up from sleep.

Police officials said the abduction and the killing of two villagers on Friday night in Kandhamal showed the frustration of the rebels. “In the last one month, there have been 22 encounters in the trijunction of Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Raygada districts spanning 22 police stations. As they are unable to muster public support, they are resorting to indiscriminate violence and killing people who have no truck with police,” said the IG (ops).

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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