Maoists torch 3 vehicles, 4 mobile towers in Chhattisgarh's Kanker

Maoists torched three vehicles, two machines engaged in road construction work and four mobile towers at separate places in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, the police said on Monday.

As per preliminary information, no harm was reported to any person in the incidents which took place between Sunday night and wee hours of Monday at separate places, Kanker Superintendent of Police Shalabh Sinha said.

Maoists have put up banners and posters at many locations in Antagarh area where these incidents took place, giving a call for a day-long bandh on Tuesday in protest against the death of two of their senior cadres in an encounter with police last month.

Notably, the bypoll to Bhanupratappur assembly seat in Kanker district is scheduled on December 5.

According to the police, a group of Maoists torched an earth-moving machine, a grader equipment, a truck and a tractor, engaged in construction work under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY), near Markanar village and set an empty bus on fire in Koyalibeda town.

They also set ablaze mobile towers in Jiram Tarai, Sirsangi, Badrangi and Paralkot Village-45 in which big batteries placed at the bottom of the towers were completely gutted, they said.

Maoists also blocked Koyalibeda-Marda road and Antagarh- Narayanpur state highway by placing trees on the routes, the police said.

After being alerted, police personnel rushed to the spots.

Maoist banners and posters have been found at several places in the area in which they have given a bandh call on Tuesday in protest against the death of Darshan Padda (32), a member of the North Bastar division committee of Maoists, and Jagesh Salaam (23), commander of a small action team of Maoists in the same division.

The two were killed in a gunfight with police on October 31.

Padda, who carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head, was active for last many years in the north Bastar area and was wanted in connection with 39 Maoist-related incidents, police earlier said.