Orissa Timeline 2010

January 1: Seven persons were arrested for having alleged links with the CPI-Maoist and planning to abduct a Government official in Keonjhar.

A top Maoist, identified as K.Trimurty alias Singanna, surrendered in Malkangiri District.

January 2: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist blew up a gram panchayat (village level self-Government institution) office building and a go down in Malkangiri District during a bandh (general shut down) called by the outfit against alleged Police excesses.

January 5: The Border Security Force (BSF) is likely to set up a battalion headquarters in Orissa.

The State Government had demanded deployment of seven battalions of para-military forces in the State in view of the recent spurt in the attacks by the CPI-Maoist in the Districts adjoining Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Besides, it had also demanded a special grant of INR 1,000 crore.

January 6: A number of villagers are compelled to migrate to different places for safety following threats from CPI-Maoist cadres in Sundergarh District.

January 7: A woman CPI-Maoist recently surrendered to the Police in the Rayagada District to escape a forced marriage with a fellow extremist.

While infrastructure programme like the rural connectivity is not making headway in the hinterland due to direct opposition from the Maoists, rural electrification programme is not facing any problem from the Maoists.

January 8: With officials reluctant to work in Maoist-hit backward Districts of Orissa, the State Government said it was formulating a policy to provide financial and other incentives to non-Police employees too.

January 10: Deogarh District Police recovered detonators, live ammunition, utensils and a sewing machine from Pindki forest under Riamal Police Station.

January 11: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres killed two local traders in the Katulpeta village under Bandhugaon Police Station area of Koraput District.

January 14: The Orissa Police claimed to have arrested Saswati Das, wife of CPI-Maoist ‘State Committee Secretary’ Sabyasachi Panda on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar. 

January 17: One Ladi Dharma Rao was arrested from Paralakhemundi in the Gajapati District by a police Team from Rayagada District on the charges that he was supplying explosive materials to the CPI-Maoist.

Two area committee members of the Srikakulam-Koraput division of the CPI-Maoist, including a woman cadre, surrendered in Rayagada District.

Following the January 15 arrest of Saswati Das alias Mili Panda, wife of Sabyasachi Panda, state ‘secretary’ of the CPI-Maoist, the extremists resorted to literature campaign to defuse panic among the armed cadres.

January 17: A group of armed CPI-Maoist cadres killed a paddy trader Rama Gouda in the Malkangiri District for not acceding to their demands.

The Maoists ransacked and set ablaze a house and looted the grocery shop of a businessman at Janbai under Chitrakonda Police Station of the same district. He was reportedly killed for failing to pay the 'levy' demanded by the Maoists.

January 20: CPI-Maoist cadres exploded a mobile communication tower and its control room at Kaliatola village under Baipariguda Police Station limits in Koraput District.

A group of Maoists assaulted a liquor trader and ransacked his liquor outlet at Biribeda village. Maoists had earlier threatened liquor traders to stop sale of liquor in the area.

A group of 50 cadres of the CPI-Maoist along with around 100 supporters damaged one mobile communication tower each of the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and Airtel at Kudumulguma village in Malkangiri District. The Maoists also destroyed a licensed India Made Foreign Liquor Shop (IMFL) shop in the same village.

January 21-22: Cadres and supporters of the CPI-Maoist blocked the road near Gadargudi village in Chandrapur block in Rayagada District by felling trees in the night of January 21. The road blockade was removed on January 22.

January 22: CPI Maoist cadres ransacked the tehsil (revenue division) office and set ablaze records at Machkund area in the same District.

The Union Government has promised the State five more battalions of Central Paramilitary Forces and two helicopters for anti-Maoist operations.

January 23: Four civilians, including two women, were killed in a landmine blast triggered by CPI-Maoist in the Narayanpatna block in Koraput District. Nine personnel of the Special Operations Group and two civilians were also injured in the landmine blast.

The Maoists abducted three persons, including a local Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-Marxist) leader and Zilla Parishad (District Council) member Anand Masihari in Sundergarh District.

January 24: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist triggered a landmine blast at a culvert between Baunsaput and Katharagada villages on the Narayanpatna-Bandhugaon road in Koraput District targeting the Security Force (SF) personnel. Two personnel of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) received minor injuries in the incident.

Abducted Anand Masi Horo (35), Sundargarh zilla parishad (District level local self Government institution) member belonging to CPI-Marxist from Koira B constituency, remained untraced. The report adds that two other local Left party members abducted along with Horo returned safe from the captivity of the Maoists.

Maoists have warned of 'death sentence' to the teachers who would dare to go to the schools on Republic Day (January 26) in Raikia block of Kandhamal District.

January 25: Over 20 armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist set ablaze four vehicles and ransacked the office of a private construction company at Remal in Daitary Police Station of Keonjhar District on.

As part of the ‘economic blockade,’ over 60 extremists laid siege to the iron ore mines of Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) at Kalta under Koira Police limits for two hours.

Chief Minister (CM) Naveen Patnaik received an e-mail threat by one Babuli Behera. Behera had threatened to kill the CM if he did not release Subhasree Das, wife of Maoist leader, who is under Police custody.

Barely hours after the release of CPI-Marxist leader Anand Masi Horo, the Maoists abducted Kalta mines leader Thomas Munda (38) of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). As reported earlier, Horo was abducted by the Maoists on January 24.

January 27: Gananath Patra, advisor of the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangha (CMAS) active in Koraput District, was arrested by Police from Vivekananda Marg in State capital Bhubaneswar on.

January 28: Senior Police officials have interrogated senior CPI-Maoist intellectual and advisor of Koraput based CMAS, Gananath Patra.

January 29: The dead body of the CITU leader Thomas Munda, who was abducted on January 25 by the CPI-Maoist cadres during a raid at SAIL-owned Kalta mines in Sundergarh District, was found in the Renjeda forest in the District.

January 30: Johan Munda, a contract worker from Banke village in Sundergarh District was killed by the CPI-Maoist cadres. He was abducted by the Maoists when he was on his way to a church January 29.

February 2: Purna alias Ramesh Mambalika, a top Maoist, an explosive expert and a master in making landmines, was arrested from his native village at Tubuni in the Gudari Police Station area of Rayagada District. Five landmines and an equal number of guns, ammunition including gelatins and 15 kilograms of splinters used in the making of landmines were recovered.

Pratap Behera, 32, who had sent an e-mail to the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on January 25, threatening to kill him, was arrested from Astaranga area of Puri District.

The Anti-Naxalite Task Force has decided to seal the Orissa boarder so that the Maoists hiding in the State forests cannot escape, Economic Times reported on February 2. The decision is also to stop Maoists from other States to enter Orissa. Some five battalions of Central Para-military Forces have been sent to the State for the purpose.

CM Naveen Patnaik said, "It is not possible to have discussion with them (Maoists) till they give up the path of violence."

February 6: The CPI-Maoist cadres killed one person, Sukura Oram, branding him as a Police informer in Sundargarh District. His dead body was found with the throat slit.

February 7: The 72-hour strike called by the CPI-Maoists in protest against proposed 'Operation Green Hunt' evoked little response in Orissa. There was no impact of the strike in any of the Maoist hit Districts, including Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada, Gajapati and Ganjam, Police said.

February 9: Police arrested two youths near Majhi Ghariyani temple in Rayagada on charges of threatening a weigh-bridge owner in the guise of Maoists. One of the arrestee was identified as Duryodhan Janta, a former sarpanch (village head) of Jhimidipeta under Seshkal Police Station area.

The Police in Rayagada District arrested two Maoist supporters. Police said though they were not in the outfit's armed squad, but were active sympathizers and had been providing logistic support to the Maoists.

February 10: Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres blew up a portion of railway tracks between Bisra and Bhalulata railway stations at around 2 am causing derailment of a goods train and disrupting train services on the Howrah-Mumbai route.

Srikakulam-Koraput 'division' of the CPI-Maoist accused the State Government of arresting Gananath Patra, an advisor of Maoist-frontal outfit Chasi Muliya Adivasi Sangha to suppress land movement by tribals in Koraput District and demanded his early release in a letter to some media persons. Patra was arrested in Bhubaneswar on January 27 for his involvement in six cases in Koraput.

February 11: Two cadres of the CPI-Maoist were arrested in Sundergarh District. One of the arrestees was identified as Marshal Munda, allegedly involved in the killing of a trade union leader, Thomas Munda, in the Sundergarh District two weeks ago.

The decision to reduce load shedding and start electrification work in rural areas, where contractors are reluctant to do so for fear of Maoists, was taken at a high-level meeting in Bhubaneswar presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

February 11: Two CPI-Maoist area committee members of Harichandanpur squad of Kalinga Nagar division surrendered before Keonjhar Superintendent of Police Ashis Singh.

Two CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested by Sambalpur District.

February 12: Three criminals suspected to have Maoist link were arrested by Rourkela Police from a lodge located near the railway station.

The State Government has decided to submit a proposal for INR 50 crore to the Centre under the Police modernisation programme for 2010- 11.

February 13: Three Maoists, including a woman, involved in several attacks on Security Force personnel were arrested in Gajapati District.

Two Maoists were arrested in Mayurbhanj District during a search operation.

A Maoist cadre, Sabita Munda (24), surrendered before Police in Keonjhar District on February 11, alleged sexual exploitation by her Maoist seniors.

February 14: About 20 cadres of the CPI-Maoist, including three women, set the battery house and the rest shed of a mobile telephone tower ablaze at Padarguda near Ramgiri in Boipariguda block (administrative division) of Koraput District.

February 15: In a bid to prevent the tribal youth from getting lured by the Maoists, the Indian Army launched a recruitment drive in Orissa.

February 17: A top cadre of the CPI-Maoist, identified as Babula Behera Dalai (29), was arrested from Adaba area of Gajapati District during a combing operation. Babula was a member of Bansadara Dalam (squad) of the Maoists which is active in Gajapati, Rayagada and Kandhamal Districts.

February 18: CPI-Maoist posters, threatening some Police officials to leave Police force or to depart from the area, were found in Kashipur area of Rayagada District.

February 20: Jayadev Barik (26), a village guard, was hacked to death by CPI-Maoist cadres in a forest near Salim village in Malkangiri District. He was missing since February 16. The Maoists had earlier issued warning to home guards, village guards and also Special Police Officers (SPOs) in the District asking them to quit their jobs.

February 21: The bullet-riddled body of a driver of Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC), suspected to have been killed by Maoists, was found near Kolapulia in Sundargarh District. However, the OMC vehicle remained untraced.

February 25: Three suspected CPI-Maoist cadres were arrested from Rasol village in Keonjhar District. They were identified as Rengal Munda, Daitari Munda and Jhula Munda.

Two women Maoists surrendered before the Police in Keonjhar District. They were identified as Malini Hosa alias Muni (20) and 17-year-old Bela Munda alias Lili. Alleging the Maoists no more operate on any ideology, the women cadres said they were physically abused in the organisation.

March 2: Mamina Munda (18) of Jambahali village and Mataram Munda (20) of Rebana, a Maoist couple, involved in many incidents of violence in Daitary area surrendered in Keonjhar District.

March 3: Jayob Majhi alias Bulu, a CPI-Maoist cadre, surrendered before Police at Paralakhemundi in Gajapati District. He hailed from Raiganda village under Adaba Police station in Rayagada District and was part of the Bansadhara division of the CPI-Maoist which is active in Gajapati, Rayagada, Kandhamal and Ganjam Districts of south Orissa.

March 5: A salesman of a licensed country liquor shop, Anuj Gupta, was shot dead by a group of five suspected cadres of the CPI-Maoist at Balishankar in Sundargarh District. The suspected Maoists left behind a poster claiming themselves to be members of 'Mazdoor Trishul Manch', a newly formed group of Maoists in the District.

March 6: A Maoist, identified as Deba Padiami (32), was arrested from the forest near Chitrangapalli in Malkangiri District during a joint combing operation, conducted by Special Operation Group (SOG) and the District Police. Padiami is a leader of Padia Naxal Dalam (squad) operating in his native Durmaguda village in the District.

March 8: Armed cadres of the CPI-Maoist caused extensive damage to a panchayat (village level local self-government institution) office in Andrahal village under Khairput block of Malkangiri District.

March 9: Two cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), identified as Salim Barla and Jablin Munda, were arrested from Sundargarh District. Two landmines were recovered from them. Meanwhile, a Maoist ‘area commander’, identified as Suresh Sundhi, surrendered before Police in Keonjhar District.

March 10: Cadres of the CPI-Maoist shot dead a trader, identified as Mandia Sahu Loknath (45), outside his residence at Nimlabadi area in Koraput District. The trader was believed to have been targeted as he had opposed activities of Maoist-backed Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) in several areas of the District.

March 12: A 13-year-old boy, Jatia Siddhu, forcibly taken away by the CPI-Maoist from Gadasahi in Keonjhar District and recruited to the party rank two years ago, managed to escape from the clutches of the Maoists and surrendered in Mayurbhanj District. He was renamed as Bipin, trained in jungle warfare and made the ‘area committee member’ in Similipal.

March 13: 16 cadres of the CPI-Maoist surrendered in Gajapati District. Eight of them were trained militia while the others were members providing strategic help to the CPI-Maoist outfit. Except one who was from adjoining Kandhamal District, all others were from seven villages of Maoist infested Adaba block of Gajapati District. They were between the ages of 18 to 35 years.

March 14: Four landmines were seized during a combing operation by Security Forces (SFs) from the CPI-Maoist affected Saranda forest area in Sundargarh District.