Bhubaneswar: In view of the martyr's week of Maoists starting today, security has been tightened in the districts dominated by naxals in Odisha.
Additional security forces including CRPF, DVF and SOG have been mobilised to tackle any untoward situation in border areas of the district sharing boundaries with Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The vehicles entering into Odisha from outside are being frisked at border points.
Special cell of district police has been opened in all affected areas to receive complaints and information from the public related to any violence.
Police has sealed all the border regions and intensified combing operations after issuing a high alert to all police stations in the naxal-hit districts, especially in undivided Koraput. Police patrolling has been intensified in Kandhamal, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri districts.
Meanwhile, due to the bandh vehicular movement to different areas like Jeypore, Motu, Chitrakonda, Bhejangiwada has been disrupted. Government and private bus services have come to a grinding halt. Normal life has been hit with markets, businesses wearing a deserted look.
Different divisions of the banned CPI(Maoist) have called for observing the Martyrs’ Week from July 28 till August 3 in villages through posters and banners in memory of the militants who have died in fight with security forces. Posters and banners written in Hindi and Odia were found at Mandosil, Sindheikela near Gandhamardhan hills under Paikamala block in Bargarh district on Thursday.
The banners in the name of BBM (Bolangir, Bargarh, Mahasamund) division of CPI (Maoists) appealed to people for supporting Martyr's week from July 27 to August 3 in protest against the death of their cadres in police encounter.
Maoists also put up posters, banners on trees near Parampunga in Phulbani asking locals to observe the martyr’s week.
On the other hand Koraput Yuva Jagaran Samiti, a social outfit, put counter posters at Padua in Koraput district urging people to protest the martyr's week. The poster mentioned the Maoists have killed innocent people branding them as police informers. As many as 58 people were killed in such manner in last seven years, the poster read.
The Koraput-Srikakulam division of the outfit also had put banners at different places including Podapadar panchayat office and on Janjabati river bank under Narayanpatna police limits in Koraput district two days ago with same appeal.
A similar banner was found three days ago at Talagumandi village in Kalhandi district. The Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division urged the people through the banner for a mass movement against police encounter at Bilabaru and Gumudumaha.