Maoists kill 2 civilians in Odisha, accusing them of being police informers

The Maoists left a handwritten note accusing the two of providing information to police about five of their colleagues, who were killed in police firing last year.

Published on: Jan 30, 2021, 13:05:53 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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After a lull of several months, Maoists in Odisha struck, killing two civilians including the son of a sarpanch in Kandhamal district, accusing them of being police informers.

The son of sarpanch of Bhandarangi gram panchayat is one of the deceased (FILE PHOTO/Representational use)

Police officials in Kandhamal district said a group of armed Maoists went to Bhandarangi and Guchhaguda village in Tumudibandha block of Kandhamal late Friday night and called the two persons out of their house. Their bodies were found in two separate places on Saturday morning.

The son of sarpanch of Bhandarangi gram panchayat is one of the deceased. His body was found just outside the panchayat office. The body of the other person was found in Guchhaguda village.

The Maoists left a handwritten note accusing the two of providing information to police about five of their colleagues, who were killed in police firing at Sirki village in Belghar area of Kandhamal district in September last year.

Holding Odisha police DGP Abhay and police intelligence chief RK Sharma for the deaths of their colleagues, the Maoists in their note said all the informers are being warned to surrender before them by February 15 for their trial at Jan Adalat, a so-called public court run by the Maoists.

The killing of the two civilians came just five days after Odisha police DGP Abhay asked Maoists to surrender and join the mainstream. Four days ago, a hardcore woman Maoist in Malkangiri district had surrendered before police.

Odisha currently has 92 companies of BSF and CRPF personnel deployed in Maoist-affected districts.

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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