Ex top cops term encounter video released by Maoists an act of ‘cowardice’

Malkangiri: Former top police officers of Odisha today said the release of video footage of an encounter between security personnel and Maoists on July 12, 2009 in Rajnandangaon forest in Chhattisagarh bordering Malkangiri district that left 29 police personnel dead on social media exposes the weakening of the ultras.

Terming the release of the video 'an act of cowardice', Bipin Bihari Mishra, former DGP, said, “They (Maoists) think that everyone, including police personnel, will be frightened after seeing the video footage.Unwittingly, they have admitted that they have not managed to mount any major attack between 2009 and 2016."

Echoing a similar view, SN Tiwari, former DGP, said, “They (Maoists) want to show that new cadres are getting attracted to them and their morale is high. Besides, they want to convey that they can attack the police and harm anyone.”

The video footage released on social media shows Maoists mounting a sudden attack on security personnel killing 29 jawans, including ex-Rajnandgaon SP Binod Chaube. The footage also shows ultras collecting a huge cache of arms and ammunition from the killed security personnel.

But the question that has baffled observers is why the Maoists have released the video footage seven years after the encounter? Do they want to prove that they are still powerful or is it just designed to scare everyone?