The Hindu : Front Page : 20 Maoists gunned down

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Monday, Feb 18, 2008
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20 Maoists gunned down

Prafulla Das

Orissa intensifies combing operation

Operation follows the raid on police establishments
Two IAF helicopters being used to track down the Maoists

BHUBANESWAR: The Orissa government continued its anti-naxal operation for the second day on Sunday and the authorities claimed that about 20 Maoists were killed in the exercise. Three policemen were also killed in the operation.

The operation started on Saturday after hundreds of Maoists raided the police establishments in Nayagarh district, killing 15 persons, including 13 policemen, and decamping with huge quantities of arms and ammunition on Friday night.

Home Secretary Tarun Kanti Mishra told presspersons here that they had gathered unconfirmed information that 20 Maoists were killed in the operation.

The three policemen killed in the heavy exchange of fire between the two sides on Saturday evening include an Assistant Commandant of the Special Operation Group of the State Police and two jawans of the Orissa State Armed Police.

Police hopeful

The intensive combing operations in Nayagarh, Ganjam, Kandhamal and Gajapati districts would continue and the police were hopeful of achieving a big success, Mr. Mishra said.

Director-General of Police Gopal Chandra Nanda said the extremists behind the Nayagarh incidents were moving in forest areas in groups and the police were chasing them in a similar way.

The main exercise was on in the forests in Ganjam and Kandhamal districts, he said.

Two Air Force helicopters were being used to track down the Maoists and the security personnel were moving from place to place as per the information provided through aerial surveillance by the helicopters.

Though the number of policemen deployed in the operation had not been made public, police sources said around 500 personnel, including a large number of Central Reserve Police Force men, three units of Greyhound force from Andhra Pradesh and men from different wings of the State police were involved.

A Central team, including Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Home Ministry M.L. Kumawat, visited Nayagarh to take stock of the situation.

Central support

The Union government would give all support to the State government to deal with the situation, he said.

A delegation of political leaders, led by Leader of the Opposition J.B. Patnaik, also visited Nayagarh.

The team blamed the government for the poor security at the arms depots that were attacked.

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