Odisha: Maoist bandh call affects normal life in five southern districts

BHUBANESHWAR/BERHAMPUR: Normal life was affected in five southern districts of the state because of the dawn-to-dusk bandh called today by Maoists.

The 12-hour bandh call was given by the Bansadhara-Ghumusura-Nagabali division of the CPI(Maoist) demanding immediate arrest of culprits in the alleged gang rape of a minor at Kunduli village in Koraput district, stopping violence against tribal women and solution to the Mahanadi water dispute between Odisha and Chhatisgarh.

Though the bandh had no impact in a majority of districts, it affected normal life in Rayagada, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Gajapati and Ganjam districts. There was heavy deployment of BSF, CRPF, SOG and general police in sensitive areas in view of the bandh. Official sources said government bus services remained off the roads in these five districts private transport vehicles were in operation only in some towns.

The rebels blocked NH-59 with logs near Tagada bridge, Baliguda and Tumudibandh in Kandhamal district. Banners urging people to make the agitation a success was put up by them at several other places. There are no vehicular traffic on the interior roads in the districts. There was no vehicular traffic on the Bhawanipatna-Rayagada road.

Plying of vehicles was also affected in Kandhamal and Boudh districts due to the bandh.

Though there were reports that a person was killed and a woman was kidnapped by the Maoists during the bandh, these are yet to be verified. The Maoists allegedly killed the person at a place in Kandhamal-Kalahandi border. The woman was allegedly abducted by the Maoists from Lahidi village near Gumudumaha in Kandhamal district.

The gang rape, against which the maoists have called the bandh, took place on October 10 in which a student of class nine was allegedly tortured by four men near Kunduli village in Koraput district.