Maoist mediator`s son arrested with arms in Odisha

The son of human rights activist Dandapani Mohanty had mediated with the Maoists in the abduction cases of an IAS officer and two Italians.

Bhubaneswar: The son of human rights activist Dandapani Mohanty, who mediated with the Maoists in the abduction cases of an IAS officer and two Italians, was on Wednesday arrested for allegedly trying to supply arms and ammunition to the rebels.

"Sangram Mohanty along with another person was caught during regular checking by security personnel at Padrima village in Gajapati district," SP CA Meena told a news agency. He was arrested when he was going to deliver arms and ammunition to one Kailash Mandal who in turn would send those to Odisha Maovadi Party leader Sabyasachi Panda, police said. The arms seized from Sangram included two US-made revolvers, 95 rounds of 7.62 ball ammunition, mostly used in SLR and AK-47 rifles, 500 gram explosive materials. "Both Mohanty and Mandal were arrested. They will be produced in the court tomorrow," Meena said. Meanwhile, Sangram`s father and Jan Adikar Manch leader Dandapani filed an FIR with the Berhampur police station against police. "My son has been forcibly lifted by some security personnel while he was returning home this morning. Police have been harassing me for a long time," he said. Dandapani said he and his family members had been receiving threat calls from police since he claimed that the five victims of last month`s encounter were innocent tribals and not ultras as claimed by the security personnel. Dandapani`s wife Subhashree Dash alias Mile Panda also alleged that the police arrested Sangram on false case. "I believe that police is harassing Mohanty`s family member," she told reporters. Dandapani played the role of a mediator when Maoists abducted the then Malkangiri district collector Vineel Krishna in 2011 and two Italians in March. PTI