Tribal Youth Shot At By Maoists In Malkangiri

Malkangiri: Panic gripped Silakuta village under Padia police station limits in Odisha’s Malkangiri district after a group of armed Maoists barged into the house of a tribal youth and opened fire at him late on Sunday night.

Sources said about 10 armed Maoists barged into the house of Mangulu at Silakuta village in the late night hours and asked them about his complicity with the police. Later, the opened fire at him in which he fell down after a bullet hit his right thigh. Presuming that he is dead, the Maoists later fled the area.

The villagers admitted Mangulu at the Primary Health Centre (PHC) in Silakota from where he was later shifted to the district headquarters hospital.

Police said Mangulu who had joined the Maoist outfit some years ago, had surrendered before the police four years ago.

Sources in the locality said the Maoists had tried to kill Mangulu as he was motivating the people not to support them and urged the Maoists to surrender and join the mainstream.

Meanwhile, security personnel have launched a combing operation in the area to track down the Red Rebels.

In another incident, the BSF personnel of the Kudmulgumma base camp busted a Maoist camp inside the Dayapada forest under Orkel police station limits during a combing operation on Sunday evening.

Acting on a tip-off about the presence of some cadre Maoists inside the forest, the BSF personnel had launched a combing operation. However, getting information about the search operation, about 10 cadre Maoists managed to flee the area.

During the operation, the BSF personnel found a Maoist camp and seized huge cache of arms and explosives.

Considering the volume of the seized items, police suspects that the ultras were trying for a major assault on the security personnel and the police.

Following the seizure, combing operation has been intensified in the area, the sources added.