New Delhi: As many as 58 Maoist cadres have been killed in police action, 194 have been arrested and 108 surrendered during the last five years, Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal said on Friday.
While addressing the State Assembly on the inaugural day of the budget session, the Governor said Left Wing Extremism (LWE) was dealt with firmly during the last five years.
The number of LWE affected districts now stands at 10 from 21, due to the proactive response of the state government and the security forces, he added.
The turnaround in the situation in Swabhiman Anchal (earlier known as cut-off area) of Malkangiri district, which once was a Maoist bastion, has been the most redeeming feature in the success achieved in the anti-LWE front in the state, he said.
Lal said that communal tension, agitations by different labour and service organisations and students’ unrest, if any, were contained through the process of dialogue and police alertness.
Due consideration and empathy were shown in dealing with tribals, dalits, women, farmers, weaker sections, senior citizens and people of minority communities during their protests, agitation and demonstrations over different issues concerning them, he said.
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