Maoists strike Orissa ahead of Chidambaram's visit

Bhubaneshwar, Jun 25: Maoists have reportedly blown up three mobile towers and have plundered a railway station in Narayanpatna ahead of the union Home Minister, P Chidambaram's visit to Koraput on Thursday, Jun 25.

Apart from this damaging the properties the rebels have looted computers, cycles and mid-day meals from Narayanpatna block office. The police said that the rebels set the control rooms of the mobile phone towers at Kakiriguma village on fire, and went on to damage signal panel at the railway station.

Chidambaram's visit was aimed at assessing the police preparedness in the Maoist hit regions. The Home Minister is also expected to visit, Kandhamal districts to see the state of the 2,000 people housed in relief camps since the Aug 2008 riots triggered off by the death of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.

Police and Paramilitary forces, have been confined to Narayanpatna due to a Maoist blockade since Jun 15. The state government airlifted food and other essential commodities for the security forces thus trapped on Tuesday, Jun 23.

Amid the Maoist-led violence in Lalgarh, this kind of increase in Maoist violence in the state of Orissa as well is a cause of concern.

OneIndia News