Bhubaneswar, Aug. 10: Increased combing by security forces notwithstanding, Mao-ists continue to target alleged police informers in most south Odisha districts, which are considered their stronghold.
The latest killing was reported on Monday from Hatibari village in Nandpur block of Koraput district. The village sarpanch, Jagannath Khara, who the Maoists suspected of passing on information about them to the police, was killed by a group of rebels who dragged him out of his house and slit his throat. His body was found lying on the village outskirts.
The Maoists also torched some vehicles belonging to the deceased before disappearing into the nearby forest. A hand-written note recovered from the spot asked the people of the area to refrain from taking up police or home guard jobs.
Rayagada sub-divisional police officer Jagannath Rao, who was earlier posted in Koraput, said the rebels were trying to strike terror among potential informers through such acts. "They have done this in the past," he added.
On May 1, the Maoists had killed Deba Madkami, a resident of Tamaguda village in the neighbouring Malkangiri district, in the same manner as Khara after branding him an informer. He was called out of his house in the morning and later his body was found on the village outskirts with the throat slit.
Just two days before that, the rebels had gunned down two persons in the same district accusing them of carrying information to the police. A group of around 20 Maoists had shot dead Bisu Kirsani, a resident of Sudhagonda village, and Rama Madkami, who belonged to Puniamunda village, on April 28.
Malkangiri had witnessed similar killings three years ago with rebels "punishing" alleged police informers who they had also accused of organising a resistance movement against them. On April 28, 2014, a group of 30 armed rebels had raided Kopara, Udaygiri and Mahupadar villages and gunned down three suspected informers. The bullet-riddled bodies of Talashankar Bhuyan (Udaygiri), Dhobunu Nayak (Kopara) and Mamgalu Kolar (Mahupadar) were later retrieved from the outskirts of their respective villages.
