Bhubaneswar: Acting on reliable intelligence input about the gathering of armed cadres of CPI (Maoist) for carrying out subversive activities, Odisha police teams, comprising Special Operation Group (SOG) in the bordering areas of Bargarh and Bolangir districts, launched a search and destroy operation last Tuesday.
On Friday morning when the operational parties were combing the jungle area near Khandijharan village, the sudden unprovoked firing came upon them from the Maoists’ side. To save their lives, operational parties retaliated and started controlled firing after warning and appealing to Maoists to surrender.
However, the outlawed Maoists fled that area, benefiting from the jungle and hilly terrain. Subsequently, the area was thoroughly searched and during this search, a large quantity of Maoist articles was recovered. Currently, follow-up operations are underway in these areas.
The search parties recovered and seized two solar plates, Naxal literature, two Naxal caps, explosives, two detonators, six cordex, three wire bundles, two 12V batteries, three manpack chargers, three wrist watches, four knives, five haversacks, three radio sets, one car mobile charger, and other items.
Recently, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Odisha Police DGP called active Naxals to surrender and become a part of the mainstream. Because of the increased police presence and various developmental initiatives, Maoists are losing public support in this area and thus facing the backlash.
