Two women Maoists killed in Odisha's Balangir district

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha police on Thursday claimed to have gunned down two women Maoists following an exchange of fire in Gandhamardan hill region in Balangir district. The anti-Maoist operation appears significant as the encounter took place close to neighbouring Bargarh district’s Padampur where a byelection is due on December 5.
“The two dead women Maoists belonged to Chhattisgarh and were area committee members (ACMs) of Balangir-Bargarh-Mahasamund (BBM) division. Combing operations have been intensified. I once again appeal to the Maoists to shun violence and join the mainstream,” director general of police Sunil Kumar Bansal said.
Sources said the deceased, who were identified as Geetha (28) and Rajeetha (32), were working in BBM division’s local organisation squad (LOS) in Balangir and Bargarh. They were carrying Rs 4 lakh reward on their heads each.
It must be noted that the Gandhamardan stands in between Balangir and Bargarh districts. Wary of the movement of Maoists in Paikamal block under the bypoll-bound Padampur assembly constituency, the Bargarh district police recently held a meeting with the officials of neighbouring Chhattisgarh for better coordination and smooth conduct of the byelection.
DGP Bansal denied any threat to the Padampur bypoll and said the Bargarh district police has been asked to remain fully alert in the wake of the anti-Maoist operation near the bypoll area.
Balangir SP Nitin Kusalkar the special operations groups (SOG) of Odisha police acted on an intelligence input and raided the forest area where a group of Maoists had congregated. He said an exchange of fire continued for about half an hour. “During the search operation, bodies of the two women Maoists were found. We seized two INSAS rifles from the site,” Kusalkar said, adding a Maoist was killed in Balangir in November last year.
The encounter killing of the two alleged Maoists came just two days after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) sought a report from the state government following allegation by a human rights campaigner that the state police killed two tribals by branding them as Maoists in Koraput’s Boipariguda area earlier this month. Police refuted the allegation and asserted that the duo were Maoists.