Police detonates landmine planted by Maoists in Kothagudem

The Maoists have planted the landmine on Bestha Kothur and Chinna Midiseleru main road in the mandal to disrupt the Assembly elections in the district.

Kothagudem: The district police have detonated a landmine planted by CPI (Maoists) in Cherla mandal in the district on Friday.

The Maoists have planted the landmine on Bestha Kothur and Chinna Midiseleru main road in the mandal to disrupt the Assembly elections in the district. The Maoists tried unsuccessfully to stop the polling on Thursday by calling on people to boycott the elections.

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Despite the Maoists’ call to boycott the elections, the tribals and other voters in the mandal came out of the villages in the forest areas and exercised their franchise in large numbers in the agency area. Police who spotted the landmine blocked the road preventing movement of the public on the road. The voters of Anjanapuram and Chinna Midiseleru were moved along the canal embankment to Pedda Midisileru polling station for casting vote.

After the polling was over the police took steps to detonate the landmine which weighed around 40 kg. The blast left a nearly six feet deep crater on the road. The crater was filled up later.