Odisha doctor working in Malkangiri abducted from hospital quarter, Maoist hand suspected

Amlan Bhoi, 29, working in Kalimela community health centre of Malkangiri since January this year, was found missing from his government quarters.

Published on: Jun 3, 2024, 06:37:41 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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A young doctor working in erstwhile Maoist-affected area of Malkangiri district was abducted on Saturday night fuelling speculations that the rebels may be behind it.

Amlan Bhoi, 29, working in Kalimela community health centre of Malkangiri since January this year, was found missing from his government quarters on Saturday night. Police seized a poster put up by CPI (Maoist) on the wall of Bhoi’s quarters on the premises of Kalimela CHC demanding transfer of all the old staff of Kalimela CHC and posting of specialists in the hospital. His mobile phone and motorcycle were found at his residence.

Chief district medical officer of Malkangiri, Prafulla Kumar Nanda said after finishing his duty in the CHC, Bhoi returned to his quarters at around 10 pm on Saturday. However, he was found missing from his residence since Sunday morning.

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He said the body of a woman named Lachi Khurami (37) of Konta village in neighbouring Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, was received at Kalimela CHC on Friday. When Bhoi asked the people accompanying the deceased to conduct postmortem of the body, they objected and had an altercation with him. Bhoi later formed the police and the postmortem was conducted soon after.

Sub-divisional police officer of Malkangiri, Sachin Patel said the police are still investigating if Maoists are involved in the incident. “He was abducted either late in the night or early Sunday morning. We are are scanning the footage of CCTV cameras installed in the area," he said.

A native of Kandhamal district, Bhoi was appointed as a doctor in Kalimela CHC in January this year.

Once known for large incidences of Maoist attacks, Malkangiri saw no incidences of Maoist-related violence during Lok Sabha and Assembly election in April this year. In the erstwhile Maoist bastion of Swabhiman Anchala of Malkangiri, people voted in polling booths near their villages instead of BSF camps.

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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