JEYPORE: Panic grips Khairaput and bordering Koraput region after killing of Mudlipada Police Station SI KC Rath by Maoists in Malkangiri district on Thursday. The gruesome murder has taken a toll on the tourism sector in Malkangiri district, a natural hotspot.According to reports, thousand of visitors enter Malkangiri district through Koraput every day and Khariaput is the junction from where they take routes to Balimela dam and other tourist draws.The visitors on Friday skipped the route due to the Naxal attack. There were only a handful vehicles passing through Khairaput on the day and the roads leading to Malkangiri and Koraput wore a deserted look.What worries visitors is that Rath was targeted despite a BSF camp just a few metres away. The audacious attack also hit the normal life in the region as vehicles, carrying essential commodities, stayed off the roads.“We are in a state of panic after hearing the attack on police and postponed our visit to Malkangiri,’’ said G. Reddy, a visitor from Visakhapatnam. Meanwhile, combing operation has been intensified in the area.Reports said four to five armed rebels pumped bullets into Rath when he was having tea at a stall near the police station at around 6.15 pm. The Maoists melted in the nearby forest soon after. Rath was rushed to the hospital but was declared brought-dead.
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