Maoist anniversary hits traffic in Orissa districts

BHUBANESWAR - Vehicular traffic was hit in parts of Orissa as Maoist guerrillas Thursday began weeklong anniversary celebrations of their military wing People’s Liberation of Guerilla Army (PLGA), police said.

Private and public vehicles were not plying in many areas of the worst Maoist-hit districts of Malkangiri, Gajapati and Rayagada, a senior police officer from the region told IANS.

Operators kept their vehicles off the road for fear of attacks, he said.

During PLGA week, rebels make efforts to recruit people to increase their numbers.

Maoist posters and leaflets asking people to join their movement were found in several places in the regions Wednesday and Thursday.

“We have deployed police and paramilitary forces in strategic locations to prevent any untoward incidents during the celebration,” the police officer said.

Maoists, who have presence in more then half of Orissa, blew up an ambulance in the communally-sensitive Kandhamal district Nov 27, killing all the five occupants. The rebels had also killed a contractor in the area Nov 25.