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An internal conflict among the Maoists over the prospect of surrender has led to the killing of a platoon commander, Anwesh.
According to the Odisha Police, Anwesh, along with 12 other Maoist members operating in the Kandhamal region wanted to surrender to the police, but this did not sit well with their leader, Sukru. Sukru, refusing to surrender, killed Anwesh, who had a reward of Rs 27.5 lakh on his head, and buried his body, the police said. Speaking to ANI, ADG-Police, Anti-Naxal Ops Sanjeeb Panda said, "The Sukru group has killed Anwesh and buried his dead body. Security forces searched and recovered the dead body. Anwesh was the platoon commander, and he was number two to Sukru. Anwesh was carrying a reward of Rs 27.5 lakh. They were operating in the Kandhamal region. "Anwesh, along with his 12 other team members, wanted to surrender, but the Sukru group did not want that and they killed him," he added. Sanjeeb Panda appealed to Maoists to surrender and assured them to provide rehabilitation assistance. "I appeal to the Maoists to renounce violence and join the mainstream, and we will provide them all the assistance as per our policy," he said. Earlier in the day, two Maoists were killed in an encounter with the security forces near the Indravati River area in Chhattisgarh. Several weapons, including an SLR rifle, an INSAS rifle, and a 12-bore rifle, along with explosives, were recovered. The operation was launched based on intel about the Maoist presence in the area. "Acting on information about the presence of Maoists in the Indravati River area of Bijapur district, a joint team launched an anti-Maoist operation. During the operation, an encounter occurred between security forces and Maoists in the Indravati River area this morning. During the search following the encounter, the bodies of two uniformed Maoists were recovered, and weapons such as an SLR rifle, an INSAS rifle, and a 12-bore rifle, along with explosives and other Maoist material, were recovered from the encounter site," said Bijapur SP Dr Jitendra Yadav. A search operation remains ongoing as forces continue to comb the area. (ANI)
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