Bhubaneswar: Already under pressure following the phased-withdrawal of Central para-military force from riot-hit Kandhamal district, Orissa Police have started a probe into the recovery of threat posters against the newly-elected BJP MLA from G Udaigiri, Manoj Pradhan.
"We are investigating the matter after threat posters were recovered from Raikia area," Kandhamal SP Praveen Kumar said, adding that two posters were found threatening to eliminate Pradhan and some other members of Bajrang Dal.
Pradhan has been lodged in the jail since his arrest on charges of murder, arson and rioting in mid-October, 2008.
Though there was no major communal violence since October last year, the posters have triggered tension in the district with police seizing the hand-written materials, sources said.
While the police suspected it to be the handiwork of Maoist elements active in the region, it was yet to confirm who pasted the provocative posters.
Pradhan, considered a prime accused in the last year's ethnic-communal violence in Kandhamal which claimed at least 42 lives, had been the target of Maoists.
He is also considered a main follower of VHP leader Laxamananda Saraswati whose killing on August 23 2008, had led to the widespread violence in Kandhamal.
Pradhan was elected to the state Assembly from G Udaygiri segment, despite being lodged in the jail, for his popularity among the tribals who were opposed to 'Pana' Dalits cum converted Christians.
The threatening posters appeared while Pradhan had been trying to secure bail in order to take oath as a member of the state assembly. Except him, other 146 newly elected MLAs had already taken oath.
Meanwhile, of the 53 companies (nearly 5,300 personnel) of Central force deployed in Kandhamal during the riots, only five were left behind putting the state police on high alert even as there was no major violence for a long time.
"Some people (may be Maoists) were trying to keep the issue alive in Kandhamal," said a senior police officer, adding that police would soon be able to identify those behind such posters.
Comments
0 comment