Body of the deceased Maoist along with material seized by the police, Source: X handle of Kandhamal police
In a major success for the security forces, a team of the District Volunteer Force (DVF) Kandhamal neutralised a seasoned Maoist cadre following an exchange of fire that took place between the forces and the Maoists near Odabali and Sikati village under the Baliguda police station of Kandhamal district of Odisha on Saturday, February 3, informed the police.
According to the reports, a counter-insurgency operation was launched under the Maoist-infested Baliguda police station of Kandhamal district following reliable inputs under which the security forces were operating near the Sikati and Odabli, Larabura and Manjipara villages when they came across to heavy firing by the Maoist.
The extremists also triggered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion during the attack, following which the forces also reiterated heavily, neutralising one of the senior Maoist cadres in the action while the others escaped, sensing the upper hand of the forces.
The deceased Maoist has been later identified as Dasru, a divisional committee member of the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA), armed wing of the banned Maoist outfit, CPI (Maoist).
The said Maoist was involved in several cases of arson, loot and murder, for which as many as 20 cases were pending against him in the Kandhamal district alone, while a case against him was also pending under the jurisdiction of one of the police stations of Boudh district, according to police in a press release.
Dasru was also involved in the killings of a number of civilians and the violence unleashed by the ultras during the 2019 general elections including the Sanjukta Digal and Luising GRS killings.
The police team has also recovered a 303 rifle along with other explosive materials, such as codex wire, Maoist literature, electric wire, and gelatin sticks, from the possession of the deceased. The recovery also includes materials pertaining to daily use, informed the Kandhamal police.
Two Maoists killed in Narayanpur
In another development, security forces in a separate encounter neutalised as many as two cadres of the banned Maoist outfit in Maoist affected Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh, suggest reports.
According to the information available, the encounter took place in the Gomagal forest area, where the forces were conducting a routine search operation on Saturday, February 03.
Interestingly, the encounter occurred when the Chief Minister of the State, Vishnu Deo Sai was also on a visit to the Maoist-affected district, where he laid the foundations for various development works.
Notably, the Maoists had torched as many as three vehicles indulged in construction work at a culvert near Jivalapadar village of the district on Thursday, February 1, the incident occurred when armed cadres of the outlawed outfit arrived at the spot and set ablaze a tractor, water tanker along with a concreate mixer machine at a construction site.
It is worth mentioning here that the State has witnessed a surge in Maoist activities in recent months, leading to back-to-back incidents of IED explosions and encounters between the forces and the extremists.
Recently, in another such explosion triggered by the Maoists on February 1 in Dantewada, South Bastar, an Assistant Sub Inspector of the Central Police Reserve Force (CRPF) was martyred after sustaining serious injuries. The said Jawan was later identified as ASI Girish Babu, personnel of the 195th battalion of the CRPF who succumbed to his injuries on Friday, February 3.
The incident occurred days after as many as three personnel of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) and CRPF lost their lives while fighting the extremists in the Tekalguda village of Sukma on January 30. The incident occurred when hundreds of Maoists equipped with sophisticated weapons launched a massive attack on the combing party of security forces near the inter-state border of Bijapur and Sukma.
The exchange of fire which lasted for around 4 hours also led to the killing of as many as 5 to 6 Maoists. The attack was launched in response of a Forward Operating Base (FOB) being established by the security forces in Tekalguda, a hotbed of insurgency for decades. The region is well known for the frequent movement of the cadres of PLGA battalion no 1, the strongest unit of the Maoist outfit, commanded by the notorious Deva Barse.
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