Maoist banner in Odisha's Bhanjanagar triggers concerns

After a long time, Maoists (CPI-M) have reportedly put up a banner on the outskirts of Durgaprasad village under Bhanjanagar Police limits of Ganjam district. In the banner, the Left-wing ultras have warned that capital punishment would be meted out to police informers. Panic gripped the area following the emergence of the Maoist banner. 

However, who exactly has put up the banner has not been confirmed. It is said that Bhanjanagar had not seen such posters reportedly by Maoists in the last five years. As per sources, the Left-wing ultras are trying to make their presence felt in Bhanjanagar area ahead of the 2012 election, which has raised the concerns of the local administration, local residents, and police.   

As per reports, locals were shocked to see the Maoist banner in the morning on the outskirts of the Durgaprasad area that shares borders with Kandhamal district. The Red rebels in the banner have strongly opposed the construction of Ullingia-Durgaprasad road whose work has been stopped midway. The Maoists alleged that the quality of road work has been sub-standard. “Before resuming the work, the parties concerned should hold talks with us,” the banner read.

On being informed, the Bhanjanagar Police rushed to the spot and started an investigation. As the investigation is underway, police are yet to confirm the source of the banner.

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Sources informed that circumstantial evidence and certain words written in the banner point to the involvement of the Maoists. The Red Rebels are believed to have put up the banners to threaten some contractors engaged in the border areas and intend to extort money from them. 

As the Maoists have been pushed to the wall and eliminated in most pockets, some ultras are allegedly cash-strapped and trying to regroup and spring back with a fresh supply of funds.