Bhubaneswar, May 27: Three Special Operations Group (SOG) jawans were injured, one of them critically, in a shootout between Maoists and the security forces in Malkangiri district today.

The encounter at Panaguda in the Kalimela police station area came a day ahead of Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh’s visit to the backward district to review the rural development projects.

Sources said the exchange of fire between the rebels and the jawans, who were carrying out a combing operation, was preceded by a landmine blast in the area. In February, four BSF jawans were killed in a landmine blast in Malkangiri, which is a known Maoist stronghold.

Maoists have been attacking targets in the Kalimela and Mottu police station areas of Malkangiri for the past few years. They have not only executed killings in these areas, but also destroyed public property extensively by triggering blasts.

Sources said that in the 90s, the rebels had also attacked these two police stations killing a few policemen. Ever since all the police stations in the district have been heavily fortified with coiled wire fences and breastworks. Now, the BSF has been deployed in each of these police stations to carry out anti-Maoist operations in tandem with the state police force.

Sources said today’s shootout was a clear indication that the Maoists wanted to sound a warning to the government ahead of the Union minister’s visit. Incidentally, a few days ago, Ramesh had batted for the Maoists by shooting off a letter to chief minister Naveen Patnaik seeking his intervention in ensuring justice to the innocent tribals languishing in jails in the Maoist-hit areas of the state.