Kandhamal people fear Maoist attack

Bhubaneswar, Nov 29 (IANS) People in parts of Orissa's communally sensitive Kandhamal district remained indoors Monday fearing a Maoist attack, two days after the rebels blew up an ambulance killing all its five occupants in the area, police said.

The landmine blast took place Saturday night in a hilly and forested area near Brahmanigaon village, some 350 km from here.

Roads were deserted Monday as vehicles stayed away in Brahmanigaon village and in about 20 other nearby villages. People feared that the rebels may have planted more landmines.

Shop owners also pulled down shutters, fearing a rebel attack.

'Normal life has been affected in Brahmanigaon and in about 20 villages located around it,' a police officer said, adding that a high alert has been sounded.

'Police and paramilitary have been deployed at various strategic points. They have launched combing operations to locate the rebels involved in the mine blast,' he said.

Five people, including two women and a three-year-old girl, were killed when the rebels blew up the ambulance in which they were travelling Saturday night.

'We are afraid because it was for the first time the rebels targeted an ambulance in the region,' said Raghunath Digal, who lives in the area.

Source:IANS

Maoists blow up ambulance in Orissa, 5 killed

Bhubaneswar: At least five persons, including two women and a three-year-old child, were killed as Maoists blew up an ambulance by triggering a landmine blast in Orissa's Kandhamal district, police said on Sunday.

"We have received information about a landmine explosion that blew up an ambulance in Brahmanigaon area of Kandhamal late last night," Director General of Police Manmohan Praharaj said.

The ambulance was on its way from Gadapur to Brahmanigaon, about two km from the blast site, when it was targetted in the Maoist infested area close to Gajapati and Ganjam, the police said.

The explosion that took place near a culvert at Pangdugaon, about 300 km from Bubaneswar, killed among others a woman health worker, a pregnant woman and the ambulance driver, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Southern Range) R K Sharma said.

Orissa HC grants bail to BJP MLA

Cuttack: The Odisha High Court on Monday grfanted bail to the jailed BJP MLA from G Udayagiri Assembly constituency in Kandhamal, Manoj Pradhan.

A single judge bench of Justice (Mrs) Aruna Suresh granted bail to the jailed legislator who was behind the bars since early September after he was convicted by a lower court in Phulbani district under section 304 (2) of IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder).

Pradhan was sentenced to undergo six years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) by a local fast track court for his alleged involvement in the murder of a youth Bikram Pradhan during the communal riots in Kandhamal in August 2008.

The legislator was slapped a fine of Rs 15000 on two counts by the court. Allowing the bail application of the petitioner, the High Court directed the legislator to deposit the fine amount in the lower court.

The lower court was also asked to release the petitioner on bail after collecting the fine amount, said the legislators counsel PK Padhi.

Fourteen sentenced to three years for Kandhamal riots

A fast track court in Orissa awarded three years rigorous imprisonment to fourteen accused in the 2008 Kandhamal riots.

Judge CR Das of fast track court II in Phulbani sentenced seven people to rigorous imprisonment for setting fire to houses in Budamaha village in Raikia during the anti-Christian violence. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 4,500 each.

In a similar case of arson, seven people were sentenced to three years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 6,500 each imposed for burning houses in Sindherigaon village.

Meanwhile, in a case of a murder, the court acquitted 31 persons while two were sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment.

The two were part of a mob that attacked three villages, setting fire to hundreds of houses that belonged to Christians. On September 30, the mob attacked and killed Ramamani Naik and Lalaji Naik of Rudangia village.

Incidentally, among the acquitted included BJP MLA Manoj Pradhan who had over 14 cases for his involvement in the riots.

Church people have expressed shock at the acquittals, which they said was the result of intimidation and coercion.

Earlier this month, a four-member team of prominent activists discovered a "state of lawlessness and utter fear" of Christians who were facing "social and economic boycott from the right-wing RSS."

"Christians have lost confidence in the police and local councils. They work hand in glove with the assailants," Fr Ajay Singh, who was part of the fact-finding mission, had expressed.

78 tribal girls run away from Orissa hostel

Phulbani: Seventy-eight girls ran away from Shankarakhola kanyashram, a state government-run school for tribals, in Orissa's Kandhamal district. But, they were found by policemen who provided them shelter.

Late Thursday night, the girls were found loitering on the streets by some policemen of Tikabali police station, about 8km from their school. Finding them on the road at a late hour, the cops gave them shelter for the night. They also informed the hostel about the girls.

Student of classes VIII and IX, the girls fled their hostel because they were unhappy with food served at the hostel. They were given a measly breakfast of chuda, instead of their afternoon rice meal, police said. So, they had planned to run away from school and go back to their homes.

The kanyashram, run by Orissa's Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) welfare department, has 420 girl students. Inspector-in-charge of Tikabali PS Pradipta Panigrahi said the students returned to the hostel after their headmaster and hostel superintendent came to fetch them from the police station on Friday.

Planning Committee of Kandhamal district approves projects of Rs 245 Core 51 lakh

The Planning Committee of Kandhamal district held in the DRDA conference hall on Saturday under the Chairmanship of the Minister of Women and Child Welfare Pramilla Mallick . The Committee has approved projects of Rs 245 Core 51 lakh.

Among others MLA Debendra Kahanr, Karendra Majhi, Chairman of the Zilla Parishad Sakuntala mallick, Collector in charge Pradip Kumar Rath and other officials were present.