With Maoist attack on the rise in Orissa, pressure is mounting on the Orissa government to ban left wing ultras in the state. Even Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has said that his government is considering banning of the Maoist outfits.
Ban has been imposed on Maoist organisations in Jharkhand and Chhatisgarh. After a brief phase of lifting of ban in Andhra Pradesh, ban has been imposed on the rebels in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasekhar Reddy government'stalk failed with the Maoists, who refused to shun violence.
Recently armed Maoists and their sympathisers numbering close to five hundred took siege of South Orissa city of R. Udayagiri in Gajapati district, with simultaneous attack on Police Station, Bank, Jail and other government installations.
The rebels killed three policemen in shootout; freed 40 inmates of the jail including three of their cadres lodged in it, looted huge quantity of arms and ammunitions and kidnapped two police officials.
Ultras many of which were women also attacked camp of Orissa Special Armed Police (OSAP) and there was gun battle for two hours.
Apart from three killed; three policemen were critically injured in the shootout. Though there was casualty on the rebels? side, while retreating, they took away the bodies, the district police said.
The district collector who was staying a government guesthouse in the city while the ultras attacked, took refuge in a private house and saved his life.
The ultras, approached the town from two different directions in trucks, disconnected all communication network including telephone tower and police communication network.
They principally targeted to loot arms and ammunitions and free their cadres from the sub jail.
Both from police station and jail the ultras took away all the available arms and ammunitions including many automatic sophisticated weapons.
Massive combing operation has been launched with additional police forces joining the local force.
In February 6, 2004, Maoist had made similar attack on Koraput with simultaneous attack. Then thay had succeed in looting huge quantity of arms and ammunitions from the district armory.
So far the police in Orissa have failed to release two abducted police officials in the custody of Maoist rebels, senior Home department officials said.
Officer in Charge of R. Udayagiri Police Station Shri Ranjan Kumar Mallick and the local jail superintendent Rabinarayan Sethi are being abducted and are now in Maoists custody.
A daily labourer, was killed and six others injured when a landmine went off at Kankadaguda village, suspected to be planted by rebels while retreating into deep forests, police said.
Bomb disposal squads have been pressed into service to search for hidden landmines.
Orissa police is working in coordination with its counterpart in Andhra Pradesh to secure the release as it is feared that the ultras might have crossed the border.
