When thousands of hockey fans were cheering for the home team India in the high voltage quarter final of the 14th Men’s World Hockey tournament held at the Kalinga Stadium here, 30 special guests became the cynosure of all eyes on Thursday.
As part of a mission to bring to mainstream the Left Wing Extremists who have surrendered, 30 former Maoists (20 from Malkangiri and 10 from Koraput district) were brought to Bhubaneswar to witness the match.
The surrendered Maoists were seen sitting near Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
“The surrendered Maoists expressed their desire to watch the match. So we facilitated their entry into the stadium. Moreover, they would be taken to different places of tourist interest,” said Jagamohan Meena, Malkangiri SP.