Bhubaneswar: Rejecting apprehensions that
the ill-fated ambulance which hit a landmine killing five
persons in Kandhamal, was a case of "mistaken identity",
Orissa police on Tuesday claimed that Maoists had consciously
targeted the vehicle carrying patients.
"There should be no doubt over the motive of Maoists.
They had certainly targeted the ambulance to create panic
among the people," additional director general (ADG) of police
Sanjib Marik told reporters.
Marik, who along with other senior cops, visited
Kandhamal to review the situation after five persons were
killed in a landmine explosion in the district on Saturday
night, said, "it was never a mistaken identity."
There was a blue light atop the white vehicle, Marik
said adding that even a lay man could know whether it was an
ambulance or a police van.
This apart, there was also clear writing on bold
letter that the vehicle was an ambulance. "Therefore, there
should not be any doubt over the motive of Maoists," he
claimed.
Marik said this in response to public suspicion that
the ambulance could have been mistaken as a police van by the
Maoists.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, November 30, 2010, 22:29