NUAPADA: In a fresh retaliation, a beat house of the Nuapada Forest department at Golabandh area of Nuapada Sadar police limits, was blown up by the Maoists on the intervening night of Thursday and Friday. The red rebels further set an excavator on fire too.
The incident took place at around 1 AM. Villagers of Golabandh were alerted on hearing the explosion and informed the matter to forest officials. When they reached the area, the forest officials found that all the articles inside the room were gutted. Besides, around seven posters with texts written in red ink were found on the spot.
Believed to have been put up by the Mainpur-Nuapada divisional committee of the Maoists, the posters accused the Odisha government, BJP government at the Centre, and the Congress government of Chhattisgarh for allegedly promoting anti-people policies.
They further accused the government of running a nexus with the industrialists and corporate houses for its personal benefit. The extremists went on to claim that their action was part of ‘Virodh Diwas’ observed to protest against the government.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Wildlife, Mahadev Badaik said the Maoists came to the section office at Golabandh post at midnight and damaged the forester quarter with explosives. “Several official records kept in the room were destroyed in the blaze. We have lodged an FIR and are in touch with the police and district administration over the incident,” he added.
Nuapada SP Gundala Reddy Raghavendra said police received a complaint from forester Ram Swaroop Sahu. “The Maoists used pressure cooker IED explosives to blow up the abandoned beat house. The intensity of the blast suggests that around five to six kg of explosive substances were used as all the windows were completely damaged in the incident. The owner of the excavator which was damaged by the extremists, has been identified. While combing operation is going on, further investigation is underway,” he added. Raghavendra further informed that police have intensified action against the red rebels.