Maoists of the Nuapada Divisional Committee on Sunday night set fire to machineries of contractors working in the lower Indira Irrigation Project near Tikhali village of Khariar block in Nuapada district. A JCB machine, a tractor and two dampers were destroyed in the fire. Information obtained from the workers in a contractor’s camp revealed that three Maoists arrived at about 11.30 PM at the camp and first snatched the mobiles of the workers.
“They said they would burn the machineries as a protest against the encounter death of one of their cadres and arrest of two other comrades. When we requested them not to do that, they put guns on our heads,” said the workers. Then, the Maoists set the machineries on fire. The Maoists left three banners and a number of posters near the camp, demanding court-forwarding of the arrested cadres and calling for a Nuapada Bandh on Monday. The police have confirmed about the incident but have not yet registered any case till the report was written. This is the second attack of the Maoists on camps of contactors in Nuapada district in last two months.