Normal life was affected in southern parts of Orissa today following the bandh call of
Maoists. They torched two trucks in Orissa's Sundargarh district.
About 15 ultras stopped two trucks in Anandpur village on old Ranchi road near Orissa-Jharkhand border last night and asked the driver and helper to step out and set the two vehicles ablaze, police said.
Panic stricken villagers rushed back to their houses and remained indoors, they said.
Maoists had torched a guest house yesterday of a private steel company in Orissa's Malkangiri district on the first day of the two-day bandh.
Rourkela-Biramitrapur-Barsuan passenger train remained suspended for the second day today due to the bandh, called by the Maoists to protest the decision to launch a major offensive against them and alleged police excesses.
Transportation of raw material from the mining sector to Rourkela Steel Plant had also been affected due to the bandh. Railway officials had been the target of the ultras in this section during the last one year.
Normal life was hit in Malkangiri, Koraput, Rayagada and Gajapati districts due to the shut-down. Vehicular movement virtually came to a grinding halt in many areas of Malkangiri and Koraput as the red rebels blocked arterial roads by felling trees and placing boulders.
Shops and business establishments remained closed in rural areas, while Maoists put up posters and banners in some places seeking public support.
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