Rayagada: After a brief lull, armed Maoists unleashed a fresh wave of terror opposing road construction works. They assaulted a group of road construction workers and torched four vehicles in Parsali panchayat under Kalyansinghpur block in Rayagada district, police said.
The incident occurred near Gumma village on Niyamgiri hill under the block. The Maoists opposing road works from Bunduriguda to Lekhapadar villages under Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojana brutally assaulted the construction workers and torched four vehicles used in road works late Tuesday night, said Rayagada SP Dr Saravana Vivek M.
Opposing the construction, over 60 armed Maoists barged into the village and threatened two of the workers sleeping at the campsite under gun points and asked them to leave the area.
They then snatched away their mobile phones and threatened them and the contractor of dire consequences if they failed to comply with their order. They even tied the workers to poles and assaulted them brutally, the SP said.
Later, they torched four road construction vehicles present at the site, one by one and put-up three posters stating their claim before leaving. The burnt vehicles include two JCBs, one roller and a mixture vehicle.
When contacted, a villager claimed that around 60 rebels have unleashed mayhem at night
Rayagada SP said they have received a complaint regarding the attack and will conduct a probe. The place is near the Kalahandi district and the police suspected the involvement of Niyamgiri Dalam of Maoists in the attack.
Notably, earlier the rebels have twice burnt down construction vehicles and other equipment over road works. The rural works department was carrying out the road construction project in the area worth Rs 10 crore over the demand of Dongria Kondhs living on Niyamgiri hills.