Maoists blow up bridge in Malkangiri

Malkangiri: On the very first day of Bandh, the Maoists blew up a bridge near Kalimela in Malkangiri district on late last night, police said today. The ultras triggered a dynamite blast blowing up a portion of the bridge at around 2 am on Kalimela-Podia road of the district, police said, adding a Maoist poster was also found near the blast site which opposed police operation in the district.

However, no casualty was reported even as an ashram school is located a km away from the blast site.
According to sources, 50 to 60 armed rebels also allegedly looted properties from the house of an SPO in Kalimela. Senior police officer from the district rushed to the spot in the morning. Combing operation has been intensified in the area after the incident, they said.

Three days before, the extremists had blown up block office at Padia in the district terming the violence as an act of retaliation to the September 14 Silakota encounter in which 13 rebels were killed.

Secretary of Malkangiri Divisional Committee of the banned outfit Poonam Chand who own up responsibility of the violence has called for indefinite bandh in Malkangir and Koraput district from today. The bandh will continue till the police action is stopped, Chand said through an audio clip sent to OTV on Friday.