Naxalite attack;Police Associations threaten agitation

Bhubaneswar,Feb 17 (UNI)The Orissa Police Officers Association(OPOA) and the Orissa State Armed Police,Havildar Constable and Sepoys Confederation (OSAPHCS)today threatened to resort to agitation if their suggestions to prevent naxalites attack were not implemented within six months.

In a joint press conference OPOA President S L Sharma and OSAPHCS President Padmanav Behera held the state government responsible for the Nayagarh mayhem in which 14 police men were killed.

They demanded implementation of three tier fortification system for the armoury and staff quarters,constitution of a committee comprising of retired and senior police officers, association representatives,political leaders and social workers in the naxal infested areas to chalk out strategy to counter the naxal menace and undertake various development work.

They urged the state government to press helicopter for the speedy deployment of reinforcements in case of any urgency, Rs 15 lakh compensation to the family members in the event of a death of a police officials and salary till the end his service period besides job to a member of the family.

The leaders said though the Associations had been demanding all these since long the government had not paid any heed to it.

Had the government implemented these demands the incident at Nayagarh would not have happened and so many police personnel would not have been killed.

UNI BD DP/src2205