In a bid to strengthen their outfit in this tribal belt, Maoists have issued a diktat asking villagers to join the organisation.
Through posters and letters spotted at Badatekguda under Kalimela block, the Red rebels demanded that at least 10 from each village must join the Maoist camps. In violation of the order, the villagers would be awarded death sentence, they warned.
The letter mentioned that at least 10 people from each village must meet the Maoists and join their organisation at the Helkanur hill on October 25.
Besides, the Maoists, who have surrendered before the police, have been asked to return to the cadre. The ultras also threatened that police informers would never be spared.
Following the warning, panicked villagers have started leaving the area, sources said.
On the other hand, the Malkangiri police said the anti-Maoist combing operations would be intensified in the district. The area near the Helkanur hill, where the Maoists’ meeting is scheduled to be held, would be sealed and their plans would not be made successful, said Malkangiri SP Jagmohan Meena.
The Maoists’ diktat was issued after a number of militias belonging to their Kalimela Dalam cadre in Malkangiri surrendered before the police in the past few months.
Earlier, there were reports doing the rounds about a reshuffle of the Maoists’ central committee head and their targets. With this diktat, it is clear that a major change in the outfit has taken place.