Maoists Kill Night Watchman, Torch Five Vehicles In Kandhamal

Phulbani: Panic gripped Kandhamal district after armed Maoists killed a night watchman at a contractor’s camp at Mallikapada under Sutrukumpa police limits late on Saturday.

According to sources, a group of 8-10 armed Maoists arrived at a contractor’s camp at Mallikapada late in the night and set fire to three tractors, a mini truck and a roller engaged for construction of a road under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

They later took Rabindra Mallick, a night watchman, from the camp to the nearby forest and shot him dead. Before leaving the area, the Maoists put up some leaflets near the camp.

Kandhamal SP Pratik Singh said that security personnel will arrive at the spot following the standard operating procedure (SOP). “Since the Maoists are aware that the security personnel will arrive at the spot, it is most likely that they might have laid landmines on their way to ambush them. Keeping this in view, the security personnel have been asked to follow the SOP during their visit to the area,” he added.

He further said that the posters revealed that violence was perpetrated by the Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division of the CPI (Maoist). “In the poster, the Maoists have mentioned that they have killed the night watchman suspecting him to be a police informer,” he added.

It may be mentioned here that five Maoists were killed in an encounter with the security personnel in this area last year.