Sabyasachi Panda alias Suneel, the most-wanted Maoist leader of Orissa, on Sunday released an audio tape dismissing the state police claim that it had eliminated most of his hardcore cadres during the November 14 morning encounter with the rebels on the borders of Ganjam and Gajapati district.
“The police claim that on November 14 it killed five Maoist cadres belonging to our Orissa Maoist Party at Bhaliput in Gajapati district. However, the truth remains that the slain victims were innocent tribals and the police killed them in cold blood,” Panda, son of a former MLA, said in the tape.
The release of the audio tape came hours after the state director general of police Prakash Mishra on Sunday morning told media persons that armed forces were closing in on the Maoist leader’s hideout in the forest in Gajapati district.
A message was also spread that the police had captured the rebel leader and interrogating him in an undisclosed place.
It was said that on November 14 Panda was leading the rebels during the encounter with the security personnel and he fled the spot when he lost most of his frontline cadres on the battle front.
Condemning the murders of the five “innocent tribals”, Panda has called for Orissa bandh on Monday. “I appeal to the people of Orissa to condemn the killing of innocent tribals by the police,” he said in the tape.
Since November 14, the state police and Border Security Force jawans have been carrying out joint combing operations in the forests in Gajapati, Ganjam and Kandhamal districts with a hope to arrest Sabyasachi Panda.
A Pawan Hans helicopter has even pressed into service to assist the security personnel. On Sunday, the security personnel stumbled upon huge cache of arms and ammunition in Samana forest.