BHUBANESWAR: Two suspected Maoists were killed in two separate encounters with the police in Malkangiri district on the eve of the three-tier panchayat polls in the State on Monday even as the State Election Commission ordered registration of a case against Speaker Maheswar Mohanty for allegedly violating the model code.

The first encounter took place around 9.30 a.m. when a police party was heading for Badigata village under the Kalimela police station.

One Maoist was killed in the exchange of fire. A grenade, explosives and Maoist literature were recovered from the spot as the extremists managed to flee the spot with injured colleagues.

The second encounter took place around 3.30 p.m. near Marigata village under Kalimela in which the police gunned down an extremist. One gun, a grenade and some explosives were recovered.

Combing intensifies

The battle between the security forces that started in the morning did not end till late in the evening. As the police intensified their combing operation in the area, the extremists triggered as many as five landmine blasts in Poplur locality of Kalimela to foil the combing operations around 5.30 p.m. However, there were no reports of any policeman killed in the Maoist attack.

The first phase of the polls is scheduled to be held on Tuesday and polling is scheduled to be held between 7 a.m. and 12 noon. Polling will be conducted for a total of 203 posts of Zilla Parishad Members, 1597 posts of Panchayat Samiti Members, 1605 Sarpanch posts and 22252 Ward Members in the first phase.

In another development, the Election Commission asked the District Collector of Puri to direct the Sub-Collector to register a formal complaint against the Speaker with the Chandanpur police for allegedly violating the code.

A Tata Sumo vehicle of the Assembly, carrying election campaign material of the Biju Janata Dal, had been seized on February 6 and a case had been registered. The vehicle was on its way from Bhubaneswar to Puri, the constituency of the Speaker who belonged to the BJD.

Vigilane dept. plea

Vigilance Director Gopal Chandra Nanda has urged Chief Secretary Ajit Kumar Tripathy to help strengthen the wing. Mr. Nanda, who met Mr. Tripathy at the Secretariat here on Monday, said several posts were lying vacant in the department.

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