PHULBANI: The decomposed body of a high-ranking Maoist leader was recovered from a shallow grave in Pakari forest near Kutibari village in Kandhamal district, Daringbadi police said on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Anwesh (31) alias Renu of Sukuma district in Chhattisgarh. Anwesh served as the second platoon commander in the Kandhamal-Kalahandi-BoudhNayagarh (KKBN) division of the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation.
Recovery of the body comes in wake of the recent surrender of two active Maoist cadres, Nitu and Rupa, who laid down their arms before Kandhamal police earlier this month.
Police said Nitu and Rupa claimed that Anwesh was brutally killed on January 28 by senior divisional leader Sukuru after he expressed his intention to surrender and return to the mainstream. To hide the execution and stop more people from leaving the Maoist organisation, Anwesh’s body was buried deep in Pakari forest. Based on the information, a police team dug up the remains and took those to Daringbadi hospital for post mortem examination.
The surrendered Maoist cadres have given a worried account of the current situation in the KKBN division. They said the outfit’s strength in Kandhamal has reduced to about 25 active members with Sukuru and Sheila being in the lead. Nitu and Rupa claimed many members of KKBN division are tired of the violence and want to take advantage of the government’s rehabilitation policy. However, they are scared to do so because Sukura is threatening them with death sentences, said police.
Following the discovery, a high alert has been sounded in the district. Two platoons of security forces have been deployed in the Pakari forest area, said Kandhamal SP Harisha BC.
In a video tape, Nitu and Rupa have issued a public appeal to the remaining 25 Maoist cadres to reject the culture of fear and join the mainstream by taking the benefit of the gover nment’s rehabilitation scheme.