MALKANGIRI: Protesting the killing of their top leader Kishenji in an alleged fake encounter in West Bengal, Maoists late on Monday night dug up the main road connecting Raipur and Jagdalpur via Malkangiri disrupting traffic on the busy route. They have also felled trees at a few places to block the traffic. As a result, hundreds of trucks carrying essential commodities and other vehicles were seen stranded on either side of the road. Monday was the fifth day of their PLGA Week and last day of the 48-hour bandh called by them. Normal life was affected in areas including Kalimela, Motu, Padia, MV 79 and Chitrakonda as shops remained closed, vehicles were off the road and educational institutions, banks and government offices remained closed. Prior to that, the Maoists torched a mobile phone tower in Kiang village under Mathili police limits disrupting life in some pockets.Sources said a group of about 50 rebels armed with sophisticated weapons and accompanied by hundreds of tribal supporters thronged the village outskirts and held a public meeting where they condemned the killing of Kishenji and informed the gathering of their intention to damage the mobile tower. Raising anti-Government slogans, the rebels set the control room of the mobile tower on fire with diesel. The same tower was destroyed by them in 2008 and 2009 during the Martyr’s Week. In another incident, a group of Maoists stopped a mini-truck at MPV-11, near Gumka gram panchayat under Kalimela police limits at about 9 am on Tuesday and set it on fire. Dragged out, the driver and the cleaner are safe, police said. Meanwhile, security forces have sealed the Andhra, Chhattisgarh borders adjoining Malkangiri to prevent infiltration by the rebels during PLGA Week which would end on December 8.
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