Odisha: Maoists gun down boatman who ferried ration for securitymen

Malkangiri: In a ghastly incident, Maoists gunned down a villager, who had ferried ration in his boat for security personnel in cut-off area of Odisha’s Malkangiri district, suspecting him to be a police informer.

The incident took place at Spillway Launch Ghat in Chitrakonda in the district on Sunday.

The deceased has been identified as Shyam Pangi of Panasput village.

Sources said around 10 armed Red rebels came to the spot by a motor boat and shot Pangi to death. His wife luckily escaped from the clutches for the ultras.

Pangi, after knowing he was in the hit list of Maoists, had left his native Janti village along with his family members and was staying at Pilobai village. He had also met Malkangiri SP and sought security for him and his family members.

The police, however, claimed that security was provided to Pangi.

“He was selling ration near the ghat and we had alerted him that he was in the target of Maoists. Therefore, the district police had made a temporary arrangement for him (Pangi),” Malkangiri SP Jagmohan Meena said.

It is learnt that Pangi was in the eye of storm of the ultras as they suspected him to be tipping police off regarding their movements.

Sources said that Pangi had ferried ration meant for security personnel through water route in the cut-off area in the district.

This barbaric incident comes a day after the CPI (Maoists) observed a bandh in five districts which affected life in several districts. The members of the outlawed group protested construction of barrages upstream of Mahanadi.