Friday, April 1 2005 09:30 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Rayagada (Orissa): Suspected Communist Party if India (CPI-Maoist) activists blew up the residence of a senior Congress leader using gelatine sticks at Jamadeipentha village under Rayagada police station, about 20 km from Rayagada in the wee hours today (April 1, 2005), police said.

The ultras reached the small village at about 02:20 hrs (IST) and knocked on the doors of D Satyanarayana, Rayagada district president of Congress.

The Congress leader and all his family members including children numbering about 15 persons were then called outside.

Satyanarayana, who is also the vice-chairman of Rayagada Zilla Parishad, and his family members were tied to poles and thrashed before his pucca house was blown up, Superintendent of Police, Rayagada, Sanjay Kumar said.

The house had been extensively damaged.

The attackers then turned their attention on the business establishments of Satyanarayana and blew up a rice mill and destroyed a shop owned by him. They also set ablaze his truck.

They allegedly decamped with valuables including gold jewellery and cash available in the house.

Under the impact of the explosion, several other nearby houses had developed cracks, the sources said.

Even as the ultras indulged in vandalism, panic stricken neighbours remained indoors. They, however, had not left behind any literature or pamphlets as they normally do after attacking a target.

The naxalites had also damaged Satyanarayana's rice mill about two years ago by detonating explosives.