Two Italian tourists have been abducted by Maoists from the tribal-dominated Kandhamal-Ganjam border area in Odisha, said the police on Sunday, which is monitoring the situation closely.
Rejecting the Centre's charge that the Odisha government has failed to contain left-wing extremism, the state's director general of police on Tuesday claimed that Naxal violence had declined in 2011 compared to the year before. "The Naxal situation in most parts of the state had been controlled while it was a cause of concern for the state government in areas bordering Chattishgarh," Director General of Police Manmohan Praharaj wrote to Union Home Secretary R K Singh.
39-year-old Majhi, a prominent tribal leader, who represented Umerkote assembly constituency, had gone to Gona village to distribute land pattas when the incident took place, Director General of Police Manmohan Praharaj said.
At least nine Maoists were gunned down in an encounter with the police in a hilly and forested area of Orissa's Naxal-hit Rayagada district on Sunday morning, said the police. The gunbattle took place in Kashipur-Kalyansinghpur border area, after the police conducted a raid following information about the presence of ultras there, Director General of Police Manmohan Praharaj said. The bodies of nine rebels, some weapons and explosive materials were found in the area.
The first death anniversary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmanananda Saraswati, whose killing triggered anti-Christian riots in Kandhamal district in Orissa was peaceful on Thursday.
With Naxalite activities continuing to spread in Orissa, the state has decided to prepare a comprehensive strategy to control violence by Maoist activists and restore law and order in trouble-torn areas.
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