Maoists threat to the leaders of United Action Committee, a pro Posco outfit, and elected representatives of Nuagaon and Gadakujang panchayats for extending support to the Posco project has spread panic among the pro Posco activists and villagers.
Maoists have sent their threat letter to UAC members, panchayat samiti member of Nuagaon and sarpanch of Gadakujang by post urging them to withdraw their support from the Posco steel project.
Sources said, working president of UAC, Dhirendra Pallei, panchayat samiti member of Nuagaon, Saumnedra Nayak, sarpanch of Gadakujang Nakula Sahu and another UAC member, Jeevanlal Behera have received these letters purportedly sent by Communist Party of India (Maoist) with their symbol.
The letters, written in Oriya, has advised the UAC and panchayat samiti members to safeguard the motherland and not sell the land to corporate mafia at throwaway prices. The ultras expressed anguish over forcible land acquisition at gun point in Posco area. The letter warned the pro-Posco villagers to protest the project for the safeguard of the land and livelihood of poor and innocent people, failing which they will face dire consequence.
District superintendent of police S.Debdatta Singh said “no one has yet lodged FIR in police station regarding Maoists threat so far. If UAC members will lodge complain, police will conduct a thorough inquiry into it to ascertain whether it is genuine or fake”. Secretary of UAC Nirvya Samantray said, “UAC has taken this issue seriously and suspected it as the handiwork of Maoist sympathizers”. He urged the police for the protection of UAC members. It may be recalled, Erasama police in March last had seized two Maoist posters stuck at two different places in which the Communist Party of India (Maoist) vehemently opposed the steel projects at Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur district and Posco project in Erasama block of Jagatsinghpur district.