Maoists blow-up panchayat bhavan in Palamau

Medininagar (Jharkhand), June 23 (PTI) Maoists blew-up a
panchayat bhavan at Chahapur in India's eastern state,
Jharkhand's Palamau district early Tuesday during the 48-hour
shutdown called by them in five states to protest police
operations at Lalgarh in West Bengal.

A group of about 20 armed Maoists descended on the vacant
panchayat bhavan at around 0300 IST packed it with explosives
and blew it up, Superintendent of Police Mohit Bundus told
reporters here.

The roof of the building blew off, the walls cracked and
the furniture were burnt to cinder due to the explosion,
Bundus said.

Following the blast, security personnel launched a search
operation near Chahapur, about 190 kms from Ranchi.

Tuesday is the second-day of the bandh called by the
Maoists in five naxal-hit eastern states of West Bengal,
Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and central state Chhattisgarh. PTI