The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Maoists kill village chief in Malkangiri district

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Thursday, Apr 10, 2008
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Maoists kill village chief in Malkangiri district

This was 10th incident in two years in which Naxals killed village heads

Maoists open fire at village head in presence of villagers
Two child Maoists surrender before Dhenkanal Collector

Malkangiri: Barely four days after killing a suspected police informer, Maoists on Wednesday shot dead a village head at Peta village in Malkangiri district under Motu police station area, 100 km from here, police said.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Sanjiv Arora said, village headman Madkami Kanha (55) was dragged out of his house in dense forest by a group of armed Maoists and shot four bullets from behind as he tried to flee.

Kanha died on the way to a local hospital.

A police officer said Maoist cadres assaulted and opened fire on the village head before villagers, apparently to warn them. Madkami’s stiff opposition failed their endeavours to gain footing in the village.

This was the 10th incident in last two years where Maoists killed village heads. On April 5, Maoists guerillas had gunned down 40-year-old Sayam Lacha and injured another at a wedding at Ragadpali village.

For the first time in the State, two Maoists aged 12 and 14, who had witnessed the brutal killing of forest guards surrendered with their country-made guns in Dhenkanal.

Superintendent of Police Sanjay Kumar Kaushal said 14-year-old Bajaye Hembram and 12-year-old Babuli Tarai surrendered before District Collector Jameel Ahmad Khan in the presence of their fathers.

The boys had joined the Maoist group led by Anna Reddy in January 2006, and had confessed to witnessing the brutal killing of forest guards at Kankadahad forest on January 31, 2007, he said. The boys did menial jobs and were used as informers as nobody would suspect them, Mr. Kaushal said.

Giving an account of their lives in Maoist camps, the boys said they were given biscuits to eat for days together, though they had been promised good food and a monthly salary of Rs 2,000.

Rehabilitation

Hembram and Tarai were given Rs 10,000 each for rehabilitation.

Mr. Kaushal told reporters that five children, including two girls from the district, were trained in firearms by Maoists at Rajgarh Reserve Forest in June 2006 for 15 days. _PTI

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