Ahead of Polling, Maoists Gun Down Woman Poll Officer in Odisha

The assembly segment where the attack took place, Phulbani, is scheduled to go to polling at 7 am on Thursday.

Officials said that the Maoists fired indiscriminately when the vehicle retreated after the explosion.

(Photo: IANS)

Hours before Odisha goes to the polls in the second phase of the Lok Sabha polls, Maoists gunned down Sanjukta Digal, a woman polling officer in Kandhamal district of Odisha on Wednesday, PTI reported. Digal was taking a team of poll personnel to a booth ahead of the polling on 18 April.

The incident occurred in Phulbani assembly segment under Kandhamal Lok Sabha seat where polling is scheduled to begin at 7 am on Thursday, PTI reported.

Digal, a sector officer, was shot dead when she, along with four others, got down from the vehicle to check a suspicious object lying on the road while passing through a jungle, Odisha DGP in-charge BK Sharma told PTI.

Digal was reportedly shot in the head and died on the spot.

The Maoists also triggered a land-mine blast in the Kandhamal district, reported Hindustan Times.

Officials said that the Maoists fired indiscriminately when the vehicle retreated after the explosion, according to the Hindustan Times report.

Other polling personnel were in the vehicle and were unhurt. They were able to rush back to the base camp.

The incident took place hours after Maoists torched a vehicle which was ferrying polling officials to Mungunipadar booth under Phiringia police limits in the same district, reported Hindustan Times.

(With inputs from Hindustan Times and PTI.)