By IANS
Bhubaneswar : Thousands of people, including senior government and police officials, Saturday afternoon paid floral tributes to the 14 policemen killed in an overnight Maoist attack in Orissa’s Nayagarh district.
The bodies of the policemen killed by Maoists in three police stations and two police posts were brought to the district headquarters.
While people and officials offered floral tributes, fellow policemen gave a gun salute, a senior district police official told IANS.
Relatives of the victims were seen weeping near the bodies draped in the tricolour and garlanded.
The city residents observed a shutdown, voluntarily closing all shops, educational institutions and offices.
Rajesh Kumar, the Nayagarh district police chief, told IANS that more than 500 armed Maoists simultaneously attacked three police stations, a government armoury, a police training centre, and two police posts in the district.
A group of rebels, including some women guerrillas, attacked the district police headquarters at Nayagarh, about 85 km from here, as well as a nearby armoury and police training centre at about 10.30 p.m. Friday.