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Bhubaneswar: Hundreds of armed policemen on Thursday searched Orissa's dense forest, a day after a Maoist landmine blast killed 17 policemen.
"It is not the first blast. They have also done this in Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand in the past. It is a part of a battle and we will face it," said Gopal Chandra Nanda, Orissa director general of police.
Nanda along with other senior police officials visited the affected Malkangiri district. "Hundreds of armed policemen have started combing operation in the forest and more forces would be moved," he said.
A huge crowd gathered at Malkangiri town after hearing the news. Family members of the policemen killed broke down on seeing the bodies. The district administration handed over the bodies to their family members after officials paid floral tribute and accorded state honour.
Maoists blew up the police vehicle near in a village some 750km from here, killing 17 policemen.
Initially the police said 24 policemen were in the vehicle and all were killed. However, district superintendent of police Satish Gajbhiye said that 17 personnel were on board and the rest were riding motorcycles. The motorcyclists managed to escape unhurt. The van was badly damaged in the blast.
"Anti-landmine vehicles have tolerance limits to withstand a blast. In this case, the rebels used huge explosives, much more than what it could tolerate," said Gajbhiye.
Some eyewitnesses said the blast was so powerful that the vehicle was thrown over 40 metres in the air before it crashed on the ground.
The Orissa government announced compensation of Rs1.4 million each to the family of each slain policeman and job to a kin.
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