Maoists blow up panchayat office in Orissa

Maoists blew up a panchayat office building in Orissa’s Malkangiri district on Wednesday on the second day of the bandh called by them in five states to protest anti-Naxal security operations.

A large number of armed ultras stormed into Badigata village in Kalimela area in the wee hours and triggered a landmine explosion to blow up the panchayat building, Inspector-in-charge of Kalimela police station D. Mishra said.

Maoists, who had attacked the panchayat office about six months ago, disappeared into a nearby forest raising anti-government and anti-police slogans, police said.

The bandh affected vehicular movement in the Naxal-affected districts of Malkangiri, Koraput, Gajapati, Rayagada and Sundargarh, while the rest 25 of the 30 districts in Orissa remained unaffected by the shut-down.