Bhubaneswar, April 24: A bandh call by an outfit called People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) has affected road communication between Rourkela and Jharkhand.
The organisation, which the police refer to as a criminal outfit, is protesting against both Jharkhand and Odisha police intensifying operations against it.
According to the police, the PLFI is trying to pose as a Maoist organisation. It was earlier active on the Jharkhand-Odisha boreder but in the past couple of years, the police on both sides have been able to contain their increasing influence.
Today, road communication was disrupted the entire day because of the bandh call. Ramesh Kerketa, a bus driver, said vehicles were going up to Jareikela on the Odisha side of the border. Mahendra Mohanty, a resident of Biramitrapur said: "I cancelled my visit following the bandh call because I did not want to take a risk."
The Jharkhand police have intensified its operation against the PLFI and other criminal outfits operating in the region.
"We are stepping up the pressure on the PLFI and we will continue to do so," said Simdega police superintendent Rajeeb Ranjan Singh.
"We are ready to provide security to any vehicle if they want," said Singh adding that they were in touch with the security forces in Odisha. The Simdega SP said the joint operation by police forces in the two neighbouring states would continue. "No incident of violence has been reported during the bandh," he said.
"We are keeping watch on the development on the other side of the border. I have kept all my camps on alert," Rourkela police superintendent Anirudha Singh said.
Fire incidents
One person was killed and 23 houses were reduced to ashes in two separate fire mishaps in Keonjhar and Bargarh districts on Monday. According to sources, a person was charred when three houses at Station Road in Barbil of Keonjhar district caught fire on Monday morning. The deceased is yet to be identified. Houses and property were destroyed in the fire. A fire brigade team was sent to douse the flames. The reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained.
