Bhubaneswar, July 10 - At least three villagers sustained minor injuries when Maoists blew up a forest office in Orissa's Gajapati district early Friday, police said.

Around 30 to 40 armed Maoists first ransacked the forest beat house at Paniganda village under Adaba police station, some 300 km from the capital, and then blew it up, district superintendent of police Sanjib Arora told IANS.

'They blew up the beat house soon after a group of villagers reached the spot out of curiosity. Three villagers have sustained minor injuries,' he said.

Paniganda is located at the distance of about 160 km from Paralakhemundi, the district headquarters.

The Orissa unit of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) has given a statewide bandh call on Friday tp protest the ban on their organisation and alleged arrest of innocent people by police.