Days after journalist’s demise, youth killed in Maoist blast in Kandhamal district
By Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR/PHULBANI: In recent Maoist violence in poll-bound Odisha, a 20-year-old youth was killed in an improvised explosive gadget (IED) blast triggered by the Naxals at Kiamunda village in Kandhamal district on Wednesday. The incident comes 4 days after a journalist died similarly in Kalahandi district.
The deceased was recognized as Priyaranjan Kanhar of Kiamunda village. At round 8 am, Kanhar was passing on the Sadinga-Kiamunda highway inside Phringia police limits when the blast came about, mentioned Kandhamal SP Vinit Agrawal.
He by chance stepped on the IED, suspected to be planted by Maoists, and was killed on the spot. The website was close to the spot the place two JCB machines of a building firm had been reportedly torched by Maoists on Monday evening. The subsequent day, posters and banners threatening locals to boycott the following panchayat elections had surfaced close to Kiamunda.
A bomb detection and disposal squad had subtle two IEDs close to Kiamunda on Tuesday and brushing operation was halted within the night. “Out of frustration, Maoists have now started targeting civilians too. To ensure smooth passage of panchayat polls, area domination exercises by local police, District Voluntary Force, Special Operations Group and Central Reserve Police Force personnel are continuing in all Naxal affected areas of the State including Swabhiman Anchal,” mentioned a senior police officer.
On Wednesday too, posters and banners of Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division of the banned CPI Maoist had been discovered in numerous areas of Balliguda city, triggering panic amongst locals.
On February 5, a journalist working with a vernacular every day was killed in an IED blast triggered by Maoists in Madanpur Rampur block of Kalahandi district.
