To protest against the death of Lalit Dehuri, the Maoists led by Sabyasachi Panda gave a bandh call in Orissa. The bandh evoked a partial response. The Maoists have called for compensation to Dehuri's family.
THE ORISSA bandh call given on Monday, March 7, given by the Maoist faction headed by Sabyasachi Panda alias Sunil to protest the death of a suspected Maoist in the Chamakhandi police station in Orissa, evoked partial response here in Ganjam.
The Maoist faction led by Sabyasachi Panda had given ‘Orissa bandh’ call in protest of the death of Lalit Dehuri, a suspected Maoist in Chamakhandi Police Station on March 1, even though the ‘state’ had a discussion with the Maoist interlocutors following the alleged abduction of Malkangiri district collector, and peace initiatives were expected after the assurance of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Meanwhile, the death of suspected Maoist Lalit, who was allegedly detained on February 9, by the Patapur police, at Chamakhandi Police Station, under Ganjam police district on March 1, has triggered tension and left the state in a tense situation.
The Maoists led by Panda having influence in southern region of the state had given a bandh call that evoked partial response. Government bus services in the region particularly in Gajapati, Koraput, Kondhmal, Rayagada and Malkangiri were disrupted. Buses remained off the road, whereas in some cases, the government buses reached the destination through the Andhra Pradesh route.
Government buses preferred not to venture into places such as Jeypore, Baliguda, Adaba, Mohana, Raikia, Daringibadi, Rayagada and Malkangiri. Bus services to the interior areas of southern region were badly hit.
However, Daringibadi, Brahmonigaon, Kotagada and Raikia and other regions in Kandhamal had evoked a good response from the people as business establishments and even banks remain closed.
At Chamakhandi in Ganjam, Communist Party of India workers had blocked the National Highway-5 seeking judicial probe into the death of Lalit Dehuri at local police station. CPI lends its support to the Maoist’s cause.
Loksangram Mancha - CPI (ML) New Democracy held demonstrations at many places like Shergarah, Patapur and Sorada. Hundreds of people had staged mass protest and blocked the road at Manikpur near Dhorakote in Ganjam seeking judicial probe into the death of Lalit Dehuri. Moreover, they demanded a compensation amount of Rs 10 lakhs to the family of the deceased and arrest of police personals involved in illegal detention.