Bhubaneswar (PTI): Claiming widespread tension in Orissa after naxal attack in Nayagarh, a fact finding team of academics and human rights activists on Sunday asked the government to hold dialogue with the Maoists, cut force presence in several areas and prevent harassment of people.

"Following the Nayagarh attacks there is a widespread atmosphere of tension in the state. In the name of operations to nab naxalites, there are reports of arrests and tortures of innocent people," Prof Manoranjan Mohanty of People's Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR) said.

He was briefing newsmen after the team of PUDR, Delhi, People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL, Orissa), Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC), Centre for Protection of Civil Liberties (CPCL), Tamil Nadu and All India Students Federation (AISF, Orissa) visited the affected areas to study the situation after February 15 naxal attacks.

Observing that 91 people were lodged in a school for last one week in Gasama area since the combing operation began, Mohanty said tthe tribal residents of Gasama and other affected villages should be enabled to return to their villages from the camp operating at the school and helped economically.

Asking the state as well as central authorities to enter into unconditional dialogue with naxalites, he said "there shold be comprehensive socio-economic-political and legal response to the escalating violence and counter-violence."

Harassment of innocents in the name of picking of Maoists should be prevented, he said adding that since excessive deployment of security forces createed unnecessary tention, insecuirty and fear among people, "we demand withdrawal of unnecessary security forces."