Other States - Orissa   

‘Naxals raising funds through extortion’

BHUBANESWAR: The Naxalites in Orissa were mostly collecting funds by means of extortion from landlords, contractors, businesspersons, business houses and mine owners in their pockets of influence, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik told the State Assembly on Monday.

In reply to a question, Mr. Patnaik further said the extremists were also raising funds by imposing fines in ‘Praja Courts’ and through membership fee and sale of party documents.

It is learnt that the naxals were also raising funds through ganja cultivation in their pockets of influence, Mr. Patnaik said.

The Chief Minister said most of such incidents go unreported, as the victims usually do not lodge any formal complaint for fear of reprisal by the extremists.

However, police have been registering cases suo motu and taking up investigation whenever such incidents come to notice, Mr. Patnaik informed.

Several raids had been conducted in different parts of the State and ganja worth crores of rupees had been destroyed, he said.

In reply to another question, the Chief Minister said that 63 Maoists had been arrested in the State between September last year and February this year.

By now 14 of the total 30 revenue districts in the State had been identified as naxal-affected districts. Besides, two police districts such as Berhampur and Rourkela had also been declared as naxal affected.

After the Maoist attack in Nayagarh on February 15, the district had also been included in the list of Maoists affected districts, the Chief Minister said.

In the Nayagarh Maoist strike, the extremists looted 1085 weapons and the police had been able to recover 764 weapons including 159 burnt weapons.

The ammunition looted numbered about 1,00,000, and about 53,566 had been recovered. Besides, 20,400 ammunitions were recovered in burnt condition, Mr. Patnaik said in reply to another question.

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