Maoists force Orissa shutdown on Republic Day

Bhubaneshwar, Jan 26 (ANI): A shutdown called by the Maoists in Orissa on Tuesday kept the State's police on its toes, especially after the armed rebels burnt down a mobile phone relay tower, ransacked the sub-Division office and burnt down records at Machkund in Orissa's Koraput district.

Public transport was badly hit by the shutdown.

Paramilitary forces were deployed in large numbers in districts bordering Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to avoid untoward incidents. On Saturday, Maoists planted a land mine at Jogipalur in Orissa's Koraput district, killing four civilians and injuring two Special Operations Group personnel.

The rebels damaged telecom mobile towers of BSNL and Airtel on Friday at Kudumulguma town in Malkangiri district.

An equipment box and generator sets were also damaged, causing disruption of the telecommunications network. (ANI)