BHUBANESWAR/KORAPUT: As the manhunt to track down abducted ASI Umesh Chandra Marandi of Daitari police station continued, Maoists struck again in Koraput killing a special class contractor.
The contractor, Amar Singh Chawla was shot dead at Chikalmari village under Semiliguda police limits, some 50 km from Koraput on Thursday night, last day of the Maoist bandh call.
About 50 armed Maoists took away contractor Chawla along with his two supervisors in the evening hours while he was on a visit to the work site. The Maoists pumped bullets at the village, 10 km from his camp office after detaining him for five hours. The other staff members were let off.
Vehicles in the camp site including excavators and trucks were burnt down. No police personnel visited the spot after the killing and body was removed by relatives.
Sources said that KoraputSrikakulum division Maoists have left a letter at the spot claiming that this was in protest against the killing of their top leader Azad. They also wanted the green hunt operation to stop. Chawla had taken contracts under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that the State Government is keeping a close watch on the developments. Senior police officers are in Daitari area from where the Maoists had kidnapped the ASI, he said.
Orissa's elite antiMaoist force, the Special Operations Group (SOG) and the police continued combing operation in forests of Keonjhar to trace Marandi. The missing ASI's family have appealed to the Maoists to free the ASI. IG (operations) Sanjib Marik told this paper that combing operation is on to locate the abducted ASI and track down the Maoists involved in the attack on Daitari police station.
On the demands made by the Maoists for the release of the ASI, Marik said police has an open mind to look into the grievances if they are genuine. In a letter left behind, the Maoists have demanded release of around 47 'innocent' tribals in custody who, they claim, have been branded as Maoists. Marik, however, maintained that unreasonable demands cannot be considered.