Maoists gun down ward member in Balangir TUESDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2011 23:34 SUDHIR MISHRA/ LALMOHAN PATTANAIK | BALANGIR/JEYPORE HITS: 21

Maoists gun down ward member in Balangir
TUESDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2011 23:34
SUDHIR MISHRA/ LALMOHAN PATTANAIK | BALANGIR/JEYPORE
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Barely three months since the killing of BJD block president and MP nominee Rajkishore Panda on the eve of Independence Day in August this year by suspected Maoists, Maoists on Monday night gunned down another panchayati raj institution leader in Khuripani village in Khaprakhol block of Balangir district.
According to initial reports, the Maoist called out ward member of Khuripani village, Krushna Punji, from his house and shot him dead.
Punji's body with bullet injuries was found near a tamarind tree on Tuesday morning at the village, about 100 km away from here. Punji is stated to be a supporter of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP leader of Balangir district and the party's leader in the State Assembly Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo has come under threat of the Maoists several times.
The Balangir Divisional Committee of the Maoists left a leaflet at the village stating that Punji was a police informer.
"We are looking into the incident from all angles," said Superintendent of Police of Balangir Awinash Kumar while speaking to The Pioneer over telephone. The combing operation is in progress in the area, he added. Meanwhile, the Manpur division of the Maoists pasted posters in different parts of Raighar and Umerkote areas in Nabarangpur district asking the people to boycott voting in the November 30 by-election to the Umerkote Assembly constituency. They also warned the ruling BJD leaders to refrain from poll campaigning, sources said.
Though there was high security alert in the constituency with sufficient number of police personnel being deployed, the incident took place as there is a sizeable Maoist presence in the area as per intelligence sources.
The Maoists have called a bandh in Malkangiri district for two days from Wednesday. Posters and banners were found in all parts of Balimela, Kalimela and Podia areas of the district demanding transfer of Malkangiri Collector Balwant Singh as he "had failed in implementing development work in the remote areas as promised at the time of his joining in the district." They also asked the Government to fulfill their demands as assured by the State Government during the abduction of then Collector R Vineel Krishna.
The Maoists also blocked the roads from Balimela, Kalimela, Sikhpali and Podia of Malkangiri district by felling trees and digging big holes on the roads. The OSRTC and private bus services from Jeypore in Koraput district to Malkangiri district were suspended from Tuesday night and the passengers who were on their way to Malkangiri were left stranded at the Jeypore bus-stand.
No Government and private buses will ply to Malkangiri on Wednesday and Thursday from Jeypore, said both the OSTRC DTM and general secretary of Private Bus Owners' Association Durga Tripathy here.
Due to the security problem, the programme of BJD MP Pyarimohan Mohapatra to Umerkote for campaigning on Thursday was cancelled and Jeypore BJD MLA Rabi Narayan Nanda, who was camping in Umerkote, returned to Jeypore, sources said.