By IANS
Malkangiri (Orissa) : Maoists blew up a mobile tower of state-run telecom giant Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) in Orissa’s Malkangiri district Monday. No casualty was reported.
Armed Maoists struck at the tower in Kalimela in the district, about 620 km from state capital Bhubaneswar, a senior police official said Monday.
“The Maoists blew up the mobile tower of BSNL in the wee hours of Monday by triggering land mines,” Malkangiri Superintendent of Police Satish Gajbhiye told IANS.
Malkangiri district has nine BSNL mobile towers. Of these, five fall in Maoist-dominated areas including Kalimela, Balimela, Poteru, Chitrakonda and MV-79.
The towers were always being targeted by the ultras to prevent the police from getting information about their movements. This was their fifth and successful attempt. The four earlier attempts had failed.
“In the earlier incidents, the Maoists partly damaged two towers. Two land mines were recovered just below the Kalimela tower last month,” the police official said.
Orissa Director General of Police Amarananda Pattnaik said the rebels had failed to cause any major damage in the district. “Combing operations in the area have been intensified,” he said.