CPI (Maoist) Cadres Torch Vehicles at Road Construction Site in Seraikela-Kharsawan District

An armed squad of CPI-Maoist ultras torched four vehicles after swooping over a road construction site at Hesakocha village under Chowka thana area in adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan district late on Sunday evening.

Moreover, despite being located at a Naxal-infested area, the construction agency, Ojha & Brothers, had not demanded any police protection like it was mandatory while working in any Naxal area. The vehicles, which were torched, were a tractor, a mixer machine, a road-roller and a water-tanker.

The Naxals who were in Area Commander Maharaj Parmanik’s squad, had taken away the cell-phones of the site in-charge and construction workers after attacking the site and later returned the gadgets when the arsoninng act was over in an hour time.

Seraikela-Kharsawan superintendent of Police Indrajeet Mahatha said that the incident took place at about 5 pm, while the workers were about to leave the construction site after the day’s work.

“As per our investigation, about 20 rebels entered the site as about 25 workers, including the site in-charge was preparing to go home. After surrounding the workers at gun-point, the rebels had snatched the cell-phones of the workers and subsequently torched the vehicles used in the road construction one after another.  Having set the vehicles on fire, the naxals fled the scene in an hour,” said Mahatha.

The SP said that a CRPF picket was situated three kms away from the place where arsoning took place.

” We have come to know that the contractor had never informed about the road construction work at the jungle and had the agency would have informed the police, we would have provided security cover during work and such incident would not have taken place at all,” said the superintendent of police, who had visited the place this morning.

A contingent of CRPF led by officer-in-charge, Chowka thana, Anjani Kumar Singh rushed to the spot soon after getting an information, but by the time the police and para-military forces reached there the rebels had already disappeared.

According to official sources, the road agency was supposed to construct a 14.5 kms road from Chowka to Hesakocha at the cost of Rs 5.5 crores and had started from 2012. The agency was supposed to complete the project by the end of November.

Meanwhile the administration has increased police patrolling on the bordering areas connecting to West Bengal and has also deployed adequate number of paramilitary personnel on areas potential to rebels attack.  “Every effort will be made to maintain law and order and to ensure security of the people. This time all security forces have also been alerted to remain vigilant, particularly against IEDs and landmines,” said another official.

All the police stations in the three districts of  the division including East and West Singhbhum and Seraikela Kharswan have been asked to beef up the security and keep a vigil at the bordering areas.

 

Source : http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/ranchi/maoists-torch-4-vehicles-in-seraikela-kharsawan.html