Miscreants open fire at govt bus in Maoist-hit Koraput district, passengers safe

Passengers of a Berhampur-bound Odisha State Regional Transport Corporation (OSRTC) bus had a frightening experience when bullet shots were fired upon the vehicle late on Thursday night.

The bus was crossing Baipariguda when some unidentified miscreants reportedly fired indiscriminately at the bus just 100 metres from the Baipariguda police station.

No passengers were harmed in the incident.

Following the attack, an FIR was lodged and the bus was detained by the police.

While the miscreants are yet to be identified, the police have launched a probe into the incident.

It is pertinent to mention here that the area has been infested with Maoists and their sympathisers.

Recently on May 10, three Maoists were gunned down by security forces in Taparanga Reserve Forest under Kalahandi’s M Rampur police limits.

In the exchange of fire, a DSP also sustained bullet injuries and was airlifted to Bhubaneswar for treatment.

Prior to that as many as 10 security personnel and a driver were killed in an IED blast by the Maoists near Aranpur in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on April 27. The IED attack was carried out on a vehicle carrying DRG (District Reserve Guard) personnel.