Bhubaneswar: In the wake of the Maoist attack in Dantewada of neighbouring Chhattisgarh on April 26 that killed 10 District Reserve Guard (DRG), a high alert has been sounded in five bordering districts in Odisha.
Earlier, a high alert was sounded in three districts – Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, and Koraput, Tuesday the authorities put Bargarh and Kalahandi on high alert after incidents of fire exchange between COBRA forces and the ultras were reported from two locations in the state.
Taking to the media, ADG (Operations) Amitabh Thakur said that the state police and para-military forces have intensified checking of vehicles coming from Chhattisgarh and combing operations in the bordering areas. “About 90 per cent of the Maoists in Odisha have now taken refuge in Chhattisgarh. We don’t want them to return to Odisha and, hence, we have sealed the borders in five districts. After the recent incident in Dantewada, we have asked the SPs of all districts to be on alert,” he said.
“Currently, the top officials are analysing the situation through video conference with the SPs of the border districts. In the meantime, we have set up camps in remote areas and are conducting area domination exercises,” Thakur added.
He said that the Odisha government has been appealing to the Maoists to lay down their arms and return to the mainstream. “When the women Maoists surrender, they tell heart-rendering stories of their daily existence before the police,” ADG (Operations) elaborated.
