Taking note of Maoists from the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh crossing over to the bordering districts of Odisha following the aerial attack on them by security personnel in the Chintagumpha forest in Chhattisgarh on November 21, BSF and the Odisha Police have decided to intensity their joint operation against the Red rebels.
Based on intelligence reports that the Maoists have set up camps in the cutoff areas of Malkangiri like Kianga, Mathili and Bondaghat, BSF IG AK Sharma and DIG KV Raghav Charulu, DIG, South-Western Range of Odisha police Yashwant Jethwa and Malkangiri SP Mitrabhanu Mohapatra arrived at the district headquarters town of Malkangiri to take stock of the situation in the Maoist-infested district by a BSF helicopter on Saturday.
later, they went to the BSF camp at Kianga of Mathili block and had a meeting with Commandant Bipin Jethuwal. Then, they visited the BSF camps at Mathili, Badapada and Janbai. On their return to the district headquarters, they visited the site at Gurupriya river where a bridge is proposed to be constructed.
Back in the district headquarters, the officials had a two-hour long, closed door meeting at a BSF camp.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Jethwa said a decision has been taken to launch a joint combing operation against the Maoists by the Chhattisgarh and Odisha police and BSF personnel very soon.
Since the proposed Gurupriya river bridge would the only way to link the cutoff areas of Malkangiri district, he said, the Maoist would be given a fitting reply if they try to create problems for the construction company and its staff during the construction of the bridge.