RAYAGADA: Maoist posters and banners were found in three villages under Rayagada district on Thursday.
In the posters put up at Kalyansinghpur and Hatamuniguda villages under Bissamcuttack and Dahikhal village in Muniguda block, the ultras called upon people to support their bandh call on Friday over farmer suicides.
In the posters, they accused the BJP Government at the Centre of ‘dancing to the tunes’ of RSS and fuelling intolerance in the country. They also accused the Rayagada Collector of working as an agent of Vedanta and police of oppressing the tribals in Niyamgiri hills. Demanding immediate release of Bari Pidikaka, a member of Niyamgiri Surakshya Samiti (NSS) who was arrested in October last year, they wrote that mental torture by police led Drika, a Dongria Kondh of Dhamanpanga village to commit suicide last year. Bari was arrested for allegedly raping a minor Dongria girl.
Prior to his arrest, he was an active and influential member of the NSS that has been spearheading agitations against proposed mining at the Niyamgiri hills.
Police and CRPF personnel have seized the banners and posters.
Rayagada SP, K Siba Subramani said police along with other forces like CRPF, BSF, SOG and DVF are on high alert and combing operations have been intensified in the district to avert any untoward incident.
