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Gasama an important point for naxals?

BERHAMPUR: Detailed verification of arms seized from the Gasama jungle during the anti-naxal combing in the area hints that the naxals on their escape route substituted their old weapons for modern automatic weapons stolen from the Nayagarh aromoury.

The para-military forces seized a large amount of arms and ammunition from the area. A large portion of arms stolen from the Nayagarh armoury was seized. A large number of arms which had not been stolen from the Nayagarh armoury were also seized. They include around one hundred and seventy two .303 rifles. As they were not taken by the naxals from the Nayagarh armoury, it is evident that the naxals had used these guns for their Nayagarh operation last month. Some automatic weapons which were not stolen from Nayagarh evidently used by naxals were also seized.

The police officials are now communicating with other naxal-infested states to find out from where naxals had got these guns for the Nayagarh operation. From the amount of arms seized from the Gasama hills, strategists involved in the Gasama combing feel that at least 250 naxals were involved in the Nayagarh atacks who camped at Gasama during their return journey.

This again hints at the fact that Gasama may have been an important point in the naxal activity near Ganjam, Kandhamal, and Gajapati district borders during past few months. So, they preferred to use this point for their escape. Congress leader Chittranjan Dash said lack of development and communication provides easy scope for Maoists to increase their support base. State secretariat member of the CPI (M), Ali Kishore Patnaik felt large scale corruption during implementation of pro-poor schemes like NREGS may be a major factor behind rise of naxal presence in remote rural areas of Ganjam district.

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