AP-Odisha combat: Gunfight continues on day two; 4 more Maoists shot dead

BHUBANESWAR/Visakhapatnam: As the gunfight between Maoists and security forces on the Andhra-Odisha Border continued on Tuesday, the death toll of ultras increased to 28. On Monday, the police had recovered 24 bodies from the spot.

Andhra Pradesh DGP N. Sambasiva Rao said on Tuesday that exchange of fire between security personnel and Maoists in Malkangiri forests of Odisha was still on and four more Maoists, two of them women, died in a fresh exchange of fire with AP Greyhounds and Odisha police in Bejangiwada forest between Ramgarh and Panasaput in Malkangiri district of Odisha on Tuesday morning.

Not fake encounter: DGP
Talking to newsmen here in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh DGP N. Sambasiva Rao said so far 28 Maoists, including 13 women and 15 men, had been gunned down.

The DGP claimed that they had taken up a massive sanitisation operation on Tuesday, during which four more Maoists were killed. Replying to a question, Mr Rao dismissed allegations of some activists that it was a fake encounter.

He said that it was not unilateral fire from the security forces but an exchange of fire between the police and the ultras. Speaking on the death of senior commando of Greyhounds, Mohammed Abu Bakar, during the gun battle, the DGP said that few commandos had jumped into the canal while trying to escape the Maoist fire. While others managed to swim underwater and escape, Abu Bakar, who can swim, became unconscious in the water and drowned.

The DGP along with ADG (Operations) N.V. Surendra Babu visited the house of the slain commando in Vizag city and presented a cheque of Rs 40 lakh to his parents. The DGP later flew to Narsipatnam and Malkangiri.

Malkangiri SP Mitrabhanu Moha-patra said, “All the bodies recovered on Monday have been identified. The bodies have been kept in the mortuary in the district headquarters hospital at Malkangiri and they will be handed over to their relatives after following due procedure.”