By IANS
Bhubaneswar : A Maoist leader was critically injured in an hour-long exchange of fire between paramilitary forces and Maoists in Orissa’s Malkangiri district, the police said Wednesday. He was identified only as Ashok.
Satish Gajbhaye, the district police chief, told IANS that the gun battle took place late Tuesday at Kondapalli village under Motu police station, about 800 km from here, and continued for an hour.
The Maoists open fired on the soldiers of the special operation group and district voluntary forces who were returning to the district headquarter after a combing operation in the nearby jungles.
The soldiers retaliated and the gun battle lasted about 60 minutes. Ashok, the commander of a local faction of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) called Motu Dalam, was critically injured but the Maoists fled into the jungle with him.
On July 3 last year, Maoists had killed Jagabandhu Sunani, a village leader, at Kondapalli. Following his murder, the police had intensified combing operations in the area and arrested about 12 Maoist guerrillas.