Villagers today began an indefinite blockade of NH-23 at Silipunji, about 30km from here, demanding release of 30 villagers arrested as Maoists disrupting vehicular traffic on the highway.
Villagers of Chandiposh, Mundatola and Silipunji under Bonai sub-division of Sundargarh district blocked the national highway by felling trees.
Hundreds of vehicles mostly trucks were stranded on both sides of the highway linking Rourkela and Bhubaneswar via Talcher.
About 500 villagers including women led by Birmitrapur MLA George Tirkey sat on a dharna claiming that the police had arrested innocent villagers in the name of Maoists.
The villagers also blocked the Rourkela-Barsuan rail line in support of their demand. The rail line is mostly used for transporting raw material to Rourkela Steel Plant from the mining areas.
Thirty people from three villages were arrested on August 27 on the charge of being linked with the Maoists who abducted Ajit Bardhan, sub-inspector of Koida police station, on July 16 and his body was found the next day in forest.
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