Maoists kill 45-year-old man in Odisha’s Rayagada district

Police said a group of 10 suspected Maoists called Santosh Dandasena out of from his home and killed him. “His bullet-ridden body was found on Wednesday morning 50 metres outside his home,” said Nilambar Jani, a local police officer

Published on: Sep 1, 2021, 16:18:58 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Maoists shot dead a 45-year-old man in Odisha’s Left-wing insurgency-hit Rayagada district after branding him a police informer late on Tuesday. Police said a group of 10 suspected Maoists called Santosh Dandasena out of from his home and killed him. “His bullet-riddled body was found on Wednesday morning 50 metres outside his home,” said Nilambar Jani, a local police officer.

Representational Image. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Police said the Maoists left behind two posters warning people against working as informers. “(Dandasena) was warned several times against giving any information to the police, but he disobeyed the order and encouraged some youths of the village to become police informers. If these youths do not apologise, they will face similar consequences,” the poster warned.

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Dandasena’s killing is the first such instance in Odisha since January when Maoists in Kandhamal killed two civilians for being alleged police informers. It came three weeks after Central Reserve Police Force busted a Maoist hideout at Niyamgiri in neighbouring Kalahandi district and seized a cache of explosives, arms, and ammunition.

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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