KENDRAPADA: Anti-land acquisition leader and president of Posco Pratirodh Sangram Samiti(PPSS) Abhay Sahoo was released on Saturday, after six months of imprisonment. On Friday, the Orissa high court granted him bail.

This came two days after Jagatsinghpur district administration started GPS-based survey to construct a boundary wall for the poroposed Posco steel project.

Police had arrested Sahoo for the third time on May 11 at Biju Patnaik Airport in Bhubaneswar while he was about to board a flight to Chennai for attending a conference.

After his release from jail, Sahoo criticized the police, alleging that they framed him with an ulterior motive. “The fight against Posco would be restarted with renewed vigour. It would go on till it reaches its logical conclusion,” said Sahoo. The movement against Posco had considerably weakened following his absence.

Police had arrested Sahoo on charges of murder, kidnapping, assaulting and preventing government officials from entering villages.

Police had first arrested Sahoo on October 12, 2008, at Bhutamundai in Jagatsinghpur district while he was returning to Dhinkia, a bastion of anti-Posco movement, from Bhubaneswar in a car. He was released from jail on bail on August 20, 2009.

He was again arrested on November 25, 2011, at Nuapokhari near Ersama in Jagatsinghpur district. He was released on bail on March 16, 2012.