Jailed Maoist in Odisha clears PG examination with first division

A dreaded Maoist, who has been serving his imprisonment in Jharapada jail in Bhubaneswar, has passed the Post Graduation examination with flying colours.

The Maoist prisoner has been identified as Azad. Once, he was a top Maoist leader and was wanted in several cases including the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxamananda Saraswati. He is also an accused of the attack on an armoury and police station in Nayagarh district.

Azad was pursuing Post Graduation in Rural Development in Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). The result of the examination was announced on Friday and Azad has secured first class.

Azad was once the most wanted red rebels by Odisha and Andhra Pradesh Police and he had a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head. He was arrested in 2022, and since then, he is serving his imprisonment at Jharapada jail in Bhubaneswar.

Notably, Azad is the prime accused in the Saraswati killing case and separate attacks on Nayagarh armoury and R Udaygiri jail in 2006.

As per the Indian legal system, a convicted person also has the right to pursue his study and appear in examinations from jail to enter the mainstream of social life.

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