By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, July 9, 2016 : Six villagers including a two year old child were killed on Saturday in an exchange of fire between them and Maoists, police sources said.
Special Operation Group (SOG) jawans and Maoists were fighting a pitched battle near Gumudumaha village under Baliguda police limits in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Saturday night.

Former Naib Sarpanch Kukal Digal was among the deceased, reports said.

With locals accusing anti-maoist forces of killing innocent tribals, chief minister Naveen Patnaik ordered a judicial probe and quickly announced an exgratia Rs 5 lakh for each deceased and a job for a family member.

According to sources, the incident took place during a combing operation by the security forces. There was an exchange of fire between SOG personnel and Maoists at Malapanga forest. The villagers who were going through a nearby road got killed in the firing, sources added.

This apart, two SOG jawans have been injured in the firing.

“After getting information regarding movement of Maoists, the SOG had ambushed them. During crossfire from both the sides, an auto-rickshaw carrying the villagers came in between as a result of which five persons died. The incident will be probed,” Kandhamal district police head Pinak Mishra told reporters.

Protesting the incident, locals of Paramapanga blocked the Gopalpur-Raipur road along State Highway-224 demanding a compensation of Rs 50 lakh and withdrawal of SOG and CRPF jawans from the area. On the other hand, BJP leader Sukant Panigrahi demanded a judicial probe into the matter.

Personnel from the CRPF, Special Operations Group and District Voluntary Force have been carrying out anti-maoist combing in Odisha’s Kandhamal and other affected southern districts.
The police claimed they had been sounded off about “Maoists” traveling in an autorickshaw.

The killing once again reinforces Odisha’s Maoist problem notwithstanding the Naveen Patnaik government’s claim that it is on the wane.