Teacher held for Maoist links

NUAPADA: The arrest of a teacher for suspected Maoist link by Komna police in the district and remand in judicial custody on Friday has been mired in the thick of controversy with the teacher denying having any connection with the Maoists.Police picked up the teacher, Kaliram Suar (22), of Sunabeda village under Sunabeda panchayat inside Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary following  investigation into the torching of forester’s office of the wildlife division at Sunabeda village on June 22. He was working as a contractual teacher engaged by Chakutia Bhunjia Development Agency (CBDA) since 2008 in Salepada TRW Girlas Middle English School in Sunabeda panchayat. On June 22 about  40 Hindi-speaking armed Maoist, including 13 women,  swooped down on offices in Sunabeda Wildlife Division from where they took the watchman, Amar Majhi, along with them to Cherechuan forest gate. Here also they burnt down some documents before fleeing towards Chhattisgarh. They had left Majhi at Sunabeda village and also pasted posters claiming the burning was in protest of police action and atrocities in Lalgarh. While police claim Kaliram Suar was arrested basing on the report of the complaint lodged by forest officials, a senior forest official denied filing any such FIR   The claim of the Forest Department has put the police in the dock and their arresting Suar after two years of the incident brought the role of police under scanner. Nuapada SP Sanjay Kaushal said the teacher could have been picked up over the old case or fresh input.