Rourkela: Villagers today began an
indefinite blockade of a national highway at Silipunji near
here demanding release of 30 people, who were arrested for
allegedly having links with Maoists.
About 500 villagers of Chandiposh, Mundatola and
Silipunji under Bonai sub-division of Sundargarh district, led
by Birmitrapur MLA George Tirkey, sat on a dharna about 30 km
from here claiming that the police had arrested innocent
villagers branding them as Maoists.
They blocked NH-23 linking Rourkela and Bhubaneswar via
Talcher by felling trees leaving hundreds of vehicles, mostly
trucks, stranded.
The villagers also blocked the Rourkela-Barsuan rail line
used for transporting raw material to Rourkela Steel Plant
from the mining areas.
Thirty people from three villages were arrested on August
27 on charges of having links with the Maoists, who had
abducted Ajit Bardhan, sub-inspector of Koida police station,
on July 16. His body was found in a forest the next day.
Bureau Report
