SAA event in Odisha, Kotameta area, India on Mon 14th November 2022

Four persons including a local Congress leader Sarat Buruda have been arrested and 19 others detained by the Malkangiri Police for blocking the National Highway 326 near Kotameta village in Mathili Tehsil (revenue unit) in Malkangiri District of Odisha, in protest against the killing of two persons by security personnel last week, reports Hindustan Times on November 14. The protesters said the two, identified by the Police as suspected cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), were killed in what they alleged was a “fake encounter”. However, Police officers said the two deceased could be ‘militia’ members who work for Maoist cadres. “We have recovered guns and some explosive substances from the Maoist camp. As Boipariguda is a known corridor for the cannabis trade, it is possible that the two militia members went to carry cannabis packages for Maoists. If they were ordinary porters, why did they go to the Maoist camp at night,” said a senior Police officer of Koraput District who asked not to be named. Earlier, South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) had reported that two CPI-Maoist cadres were killed in an exchange of fire with the Special Operation Group (SOG) in Koraput District on November 12.