Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a joint team of security personnel launched a combing operation under the supervision of Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Harish Bishi.
Bhubaneswar: In a significant blow to left-wing extremism in Odisha, security forces on Monday shot dead two Maoists in an encounter in the Budaguda Reserve Forest area of Kandhamal district.
Acting on specific intelligence inputs, a joint team of security personnel launched a combing operation under the supervision of Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Harish Bishi. The operation, which had been underway for the past two days, intensified after the forces came face-to-face with a group of Maoists deep inside the dense forest.
An exchange of fire ensued, resulting in the deaths of two Maoist operatives. Their identities were yet to be established, police sources said. Search operations were further stepped up in the area to flush out any remaining extremists and prevent them from slipping into nearby border regions.
“Based on preliminary information, we suspect a few more Maoists could be hiding in the forest. Combing operations are continuing, and details of the arms and ammunition recovered will be shared after the area is fully secured,” a senior police officer said.
The incident marks a fresh resurgence of Maoist activity in the region after a brief lull. Security officials were put on high alert following intelligence reports suggesting increased movement of armed Maoist cadres in parts of Kandhamal and neighbouring districts.
In May, in a similar high-intensity operation, security forces had gunned down three senior Maoist leaders during an encounter in the Maradpalli forest near the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border in Malkangiri district, dealing a major blow to the outlawed outfit.
The Odisha police, along with central paramilitary forces, have been conducting continuous anti-Naxal operations in known rebel strongholds as part of an intensified counter-insurgency strategy.
