BHAWANIPATNA/BHUBANESWAR: The Kalahandi district administration has urged the State Election Commission (SEC) to merge 96 polling booths in the regions affected by the Maoist menace after fresh Maoist posters threatening to boycott rural polls surfaced on Saturday.
Three pamphlets and one handwritten note of Naxals threatening the locals to boycott panchayat polls were spotted by some locals of Laxmipur village in the district on Saturday morning.
Kalahandi SP Saravana Vivek M said the bomb detection and disposal squad was sent to the spot as per the standard operating procedure. Locals were asked not to stroll near the posters and vehicular movement was restricted in the area till noon, he said.
During the combing operation, the security personnel did not recover any improvised explosive device and the posters were later removed from the spot.
On February 5, the red rebels had put up posters threatening the villagers of Madanpur Rampur block in the district to boycott elections. They had planted landmines that claimed the life of a local journalist.
"Initial investigation suggests the members of Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division are behind the recent incidents of planting IEDs and threatening villagers by putting up posters/banners to boycott polls. Area domination exercises are being carried out by the forces in all the sensitive areas to avoid any incident of Naxal violence," said a senior police officer.
The officer said in view of Maoists menace the SEC has been requested to merge 96 polling booths in Naxal affected areas of the district to 24 to ensure smooth conduct of the elections. "We are hopeful, the Election Commission will consider our request," he said.
The locals have also expressed their displeasure as two civilians lost their lives in Kalahandi and Kandhamal districts in Naxal violence ahead of the three-tier panchayat polls.
"In the past, the red ultras used to issue an apology if any civilian was killed in Naxal violence. However, it seems they have no regrets now and they are also targeting the innocent persons," said a local resident.
During the second phase of Lok Sabha and Assembly elections on April 18, 2019, one lady polling official was shot dead by armed Maoists in the Naxal-infested Kandhamal district. In another separate incident, the red rebels had also set a vehicle carrying the polling officials on fire but no loss of life was reported in the incident.