Naxalites murder former sarpanch

KORAPUT, Jan. 30: Naxalites belonging to Koraput area committee killed Mr Nalla Markanda Choudhury, a former sarpanch with an axe today. The ultras rounded up the entire village which witnesses the murder. According to sources, the 40-member Naxalite squad had entered Kesla, a village on the borders of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh yesterday and summoned five local businessmen belonging to a particular caste. They took all of them to Nangalbeda and also they picked up another businessman of Ulubadi village. After reaching Nangalbeda, which is the panchayat headquarters,
Mr Choudhury was dragged out from his house. He was also a businessman by profession. The Naxalites tied up his hands and started assaulting him as well as the other five.They ordered the businessmen not to sell liquor to the tribals in the region and to hand over the land which they had acquired from them.
They also told them not to use tribals to smuggle out timber from the forest. The survivors were threatened with dire consequences if their diktats are not heeded.
Before leaving the village, the ultras pasted posters and also cut down trees to delay the movement of police.
The special operation group and India reserve battalion have been pressed into service to launch combing operations.

Three ultras arrested
The Jajpur district police have arrested three suspected extreme Left wing activists from a private hospital here today. Police sources were tightlipped about the identity of the three, but said that the trio were attending an ailing person named Rani Jamuda who had been admitted to the hospital here since 28 January. Reliable sources, however, said that a prominent leader was among the three who were picked up by the police. The Jajpur police had been on their trail for the past couple of days. Today, they informed the local police station and sought their help.
The trio were taken away by the Jajpur police officers, while police guards were deployed at the hospital where the lady is undergoing treatment.In another incident in Malkanigiri district, police are suspected to have shot and injured a Naxalite late last night. Police sources said the incident took place near Motu where Naxals ambushed a police party as they were returning from a combing operation. After an exchange of fire, the Naxalites escaped. This morning, police found blood stains close to the spot where the encounter had taken place.