BHUBANESWAR: A village headman in Odisha's Malkangiri district was killed and his wife critically injured Tuesday in a bomb blast triggered by Maoists, police said.
The blast took place around 3.30 p.m. at a hilly area near Darabhaguda village, about 700 km from Bhubaneswar, Superintendent of Police Akhileswar Singh told IANS.
Middle-aged Bira Padiami, the headman of Darabhaguda village, had gone to a nearby forest with his wife Mukhi to graze their cattle when they accidentally came in contact with a pressure bomb planted by the rebels.
While the headman died on the spot, his wife was injured. Security personnel took her to a hospital where her condition is said to be stable, he said.
The Maoists had planted the bomb targeting police and security forces as they often move through the hilly route, he said.
Maoists are active in more than half of Odisha. Malkangiri is considered one of their strongholds.