Landmine blast by Naxals claims lifetime of journalist in Odisha’s Kalahandi

By Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR/BHAWANIPATNA: A journalist working with a vernacular each day was killed in an IED blast triggered by left-wing extremists in Kalahandi district’s Madanpur Rampur block on Saturday, days forward of the panchayat polls within the state.

The scribe Rohit Biswal had gone to Domkarlakhunta to cowl the surfacing of Maoist posters and banners unaware that the world was rigged with explosive units.

Police suspect that Rohit, a local of Mohangiri village, stepped on a stress IED as he went in the direction of one of many posters put up by the Red rebels. He succumbed on the spot at about 1 pm. A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) crew has rushed to the spot after the incident.

Sources stated at the least 5 posters and banners have been noticed by the locals of the Madanpur-Rampur block at about 10.30 am. The banners apparently appealed to the locals to boycott the following panchayat polls. Rohit, who acquired details about the incident, had gone to cowl it.

“Police officers along with a bomb detection and disposal squad are on the spot and are screening the area,” Kalahandi SP Saravana Vivek M stated.

Police suspect the LWE cadres of Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division could possibly be doubtless behind the explosion for the reason that unit is energetic within the junction.

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The incident has signaled the resurfacing of Maoist violence throughout polls within the state and has raised questions on safety preparedness forward of polls because the journalist was capable of come close to the posters earlier than safety personnel might get there.

“According to the standard operating procedure of the security forces, the personnel wait for a few hours when such posters surface and then the bomb detection and disposal squads are called in. This is done to ensure that the security personnel do not walk into an ambush,” stated a senior officer.

Odisha goes into the panchayat elections starting February 16 in 5 completely different phases. Though Maoist violence has witnessed a big drop within the state, there are pockets the place the Red rebels have been energetic.

During the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in April 2019, a woman polling official was shot lifeless by Maoists in Kandhamal district. In one other incident, the Red rebels had additionally set a car carrying the polling officers on hearth.