A deadly Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast, attributed to Maoist operatives, killed railway trackman Atua Oram (37) and critically injured his colleague Budhua Munda (35) on Sunday in Odisha’s Sundargarh district. The explosion occurred during a routine track inspection near Renjda station under K Balang police limits, about 110 km from Rourkela, close to the Maoist-dominated Saranda forest in Jharkhand. The incident coincided with the final day of the CPI (Maoist)’s Martyr Week.

Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwahi reported the blast, which partially damaged a concrete sleeper, occurred around 10 am. It followed reports of Maoist posters in the area late Saturday, prompting a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)-based track scan. While no suspicious items were found near the posters, the IED detonated a kilometer away, likely targeting security forces lured by the posters. Munda is receiving treatment at a private hospital in Rourkela.

Security forces, including the Special Operation Group, District Voluntary Force, and IR Battalion, are conducting extensive combing operations with bomb disposal squads. The South Eastern Railway (SER) confirmed its support for the victims’ families, with spokesperson Aditya Chaudhury noting the Rourkela–Barsuan–Renjda rail route’s role in mineral transport.

The attack, linked to the CPI (Maoist)’s Eastern Regional Bureau, marks a resurgence of Maoist violence in the region after a five-year lull, following incidents like the May 27 explosive truck looting and a June 14 blast that killed a CRPF assistant sub-inspector.

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