A Maoist rebel (file picture)

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 1: Two Maoist rebels were arrested by security forces at Kashipur in Rayagada district yesterday following an intensified combing operation.

Sources said the arrested rebels, Shiba Majhi and Dasu Majhi, had been active in the area for the past several years. Shiba was the senior of the two and headed the Kashipur Dalam (group) of the Maoists.

Police said security in the area was beefed up following the arrests as the Maoists were likely to retaliate. Rayagada is one of the strongholds of the Maoists in Orissa.

The arrest of the two rebels, who were involved in a number of murders, is being seen as significant as it may hit the morale of the Maoists operating not only in Rayagada but also its adjoining districts such as Malkangiri, Koraput and Kandhamal.

Sources said that Maoists operating in Kashipur of Rayagada had also been inciting local tribals against the big industrial units in the district and its adjoining belt. They have, in particular, targeted two major units in Rayagada and Kalahandi.

A few years ago, the rebels had also attacked a bauxite mine in Koraput district and gunned down 10 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawans on duty at the site. They had also looted huge quantities of explosives during the raids.

In the wake of this attack, the Orissa government cautioned industrial units having captive mines against storing explosives in bulk, as they could be targeted by the rebels. Though the Maoists have not attacked any other mine in Orissa since then the state government and the companies engaged in mining continue to be on the alert.

Senior police officials expressed hope that Friday’s arrests in Rayagada would break the morale of the rebels and prevent them from making fresh recruitments in the area where they had become entrenched by whipping up anti-government sentiments.

“The Maoists exploited the poverty and backwardness of Rayagada to establish their hold on the area. They managed to convince the gullible tribals that they were their saviours,” said an official.

The government, however, remains determined to break the Maoists’ hold on the area by creating awareness among the tribals and launching a development drive in the region. “We are opening schools and hospitals in the far flung villages where people have been wallowing in poverty for a long time. We have to ensure that the fruits of development actually reach the targeted beneficiaries,” said an officer, exuding confidence about winning the war against left wing extremism.