Phulbani: Suspected Maoists set afire two road construction equipment in Kandhamal district in protest against conducting the three-tier panchayat elections in Odisha, police said Tuesday. The incident took place at Kiamunda village under the jurisdiction of Phiringia Police station Monday night.
The construction work was being carried out by a private company, said P Shyamsundar Rao, the inspector-in-charge of Phiringia police station.
Police said the ultras, suspected to be members of Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division of the banned CPI (Maoist), reached the construction site around midnight and torched the equipment.
Some handwritten Maoist posters were also spotted at the scene, with an appeal to the villagers to boycott the ensuing panchayat polls, withdrawal of CRPF camps in the area and the district, and adequate payment of wages to labourers, Rao said. Further investigation is underway, he added.
The panchayat polls will be held in five phases between February 16 and February 24 in Odisha
