Maoists launch fresh attacks in Jharkhand, two injured

Giridih/Jamshedpur, Apr 23 (PTI) In fresh attacks,
Maoists Thursday exploded bombs injuring two officials in
India's eastern state of Jharkhand where security repulsed a
naxalite bid to disrupt the second phase of elections after a
fierce hour-long gunbattle.

An executive magistrate Rajendra Prasad and a constable
were wounded when Maoists lobbed a bomb at their vehicle near
Dadi-Srirampur village in Giridh district in Jharkhand where
elections were being held in eight Lok Sabha (Lower House of
Parliament) constituencies, police sources said.

They were going to their assigned polling station in the
district, about 200 kms from Ranchi, they said.

The security forces repulse a naxalite bid to disrupt
polling in Bansdera in East Singhbhum, 165 kms from the
Jharkhand capital, after a fierce hour-long gunbattle with the
ultras, Inspector General of Police S N Pradhan said in
Ranchi.

"An encounter took place at Bansdra under Ghatshila
sub-division and a strong response from the Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF) and police forced the naxalites to
retreat," he said, adding a helicopter surveillance of the
area was undertaken and combing operation were on.

Maoists had Wednesday seized a train carrying nearly 700
passengers in Jharkhand's Latehar district for over four hours
and bombed a Block Development Officer's (BDO) office and shot
a driver after setting ablaze trucks in Bihar. Suspected
naxalites had also killed three Communist Party of
India-Marxist (CPI-M) workers in another eastern state of West
Bengal.

Maoists had struck in a big way during the first phase
of elections on April 16 killing 19 people across three
states, including seven Border Security Force (BSF) personnel
and two others in Jharkhand.

The naxalites torched electronic voting machines at four
booths in the Singhbhum constituency, 200 kms from Ranchi,
leading to the cancellation of voting, Returning Officer Sunil
Kumar said.

"The polling was cancelled at booth numbers 5, 6, 7 and
8 at Jompai in Sonua block constituency", Kumar said.

In another incident, a separate group of suspected
Maoists burnt down two dumpers, two vehicles of polling
officials and a motor-bike at Jompai, the officer said.

Naxalites last night blew up a railway station building
and tracks near Medininagar in Palamau district, 150 kms from
Ranchi, disrupting train services, Deputy Commissioner in
Medininagar Amitabh Kaushal said.

"The ultras blasted the Chianki station building,
about ten km from Medininagar, and exploded bombs damaging
tracks in the area", he said.

Polling for the Palamau Lok Sabha seat took place on
April 16. The railway teams from Barwadih and Dhanbad were on
their way to the spot to repair the tracks.
The Maoists had also detonated a landmine in the Saranda
forest in West Singhbhum district last night. PTI Team
RAI
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