Maoists blew up several buildings, including a police post, in Orissa's Sundergarh district early Thursday, police said.
Maoists blew up several buildings, including a police post, in Orissa's Sundergarh district early Thursday, police said.
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The rebels triggered the blast at Kalta village, located about 100 km from the steel city of Rourkela to protest against the arrest of some villagers last month by police.
"They have blown up a police outpost building and an office of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), a community centre and a Durga Mandap," senior police officer DK Patnayak said.
"There was no report of injury to anybody. The police outpost building was an old one and nobody was there," he said.
The steel city of Rourkela is located about 514 km from the state capital Bhubaneswar.
Thirty people from villages under Chandiposh gram panchayat were arrested on August 29. Branding them Maoists, police said the villagers were involved in several crimes, including the murder of a police officer in the region July 16.
Police said all of the accused have confessed to the crimes. The Maoists, however, are observing a 24 hour strike on Thursday in the region and are demanding their release, saying they are innocent.
The villagers have blocked national highway 23 since Tuesday.
Maoists are active in more than half of the state's 30 districts.
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