Woman Maoist Gunned Down In Odisha Forest

Berhampur: A female Maoist cadre was gunned down by security personnel in Sindhi forest under Baliguda sub-division of Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Tuesday.

While the identity of the deceased is yet to be ascertained yet, the body was sent to Baliguda sub-divisional hospital for postmortem.

The exchange of fire took place while a joint squad of Special Operations Group (SOG) and District Voluntary Force (DVF) was engaged in a combing operation in the region. “A female Maoist was killed while others managed to flee taking cover in the hilly terrain. A country-made pistol and other materials were seized from the spot,” IG, Southern Range Satyabrata Bhoi said.

He added that around 20 Maoists were at the camp and the combing operation is still underway.

This is the first killing of a Maoist in the state this year. A woman cadre was killed in Tumudibandha area in 2019 during a similar exchange of fire. In 2017, a woman Maoist was gunned down in Milicia reserve forest near Barkhama under Baliguda sub-division.