'Say no to LS polls': Maoist blow up BJP leader's house in Bihar, leave with brazen warning

In a brazen attack, Maoist blew up house of a BJP leader in Bihar’s Gaya district on Wednesday night. According to news agency ANI, Anuj Kumar Singh’s house was attacked last night. Maoists used dynamite to blow up the house. The ANI says that initial probe suggest that no one was injured in the dastardly attack. Singh is also current Member of Legislative Council. They left with anti-poll posters demanding people to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. The police have launched an inquiry into the incident.

Last week on March 16, Maoists had  damaged a government school building in Gaya district using improvised explosive device (IED). Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rajiv Mishra had said that rooms and genset of the school building were damaged in the blast at Sondaha village. The SSP said security forces were rushed to the spot after getting the information. A special drive has been launched jointly by the police and para-military forces to nab the Maoists, Mishra added.

Lok Sabha elections 2019 will be held in seven phases between April 11 and May 19. Results will be declared on May 23. Bihar, which has 40 parliamentary constituencies, goes to polls in seven phases.

In the first phase, polling will be held in four constituencies on April 11 and in phase two, five seats will vote on April 18. In phase three, five constituencies will vote on April 23, five seats will vote in the fourth phase on April 29 and the fifth phase will be on May 6 when polling will be held on five seats. In phase six on May 12, eight seats will vote and the last phase will also see polling on eight seats on May 19.

In neighbouring Chhattisgarh, a huge cache of Maoist-related materials, including items used in making home-made bombs, was recovered following a gunfight between security forces and Naxals in Kabirdham district on March 14. The encounter, which may have caused casualties among rebels, took place in the morning near Amlidar village in the Bhoramdeo wildlife sanctuary area, when a joint team of security forces was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Deputy Inspector General of Police (Durg range) Ratanlal Dangi had said.

According to the police, anti-Maoist operations have been intensified in the insurgency-hit districts of the state in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Chhattisgarh, which has 11 Lok Sabha seats, will vote in three phases - on April 11, April 18 and April 23. Kabirdham district, which falls under the Rajnandgaon Lok Sabha constituency, will go to polls along with two other seats - Mahasamund and Kanker - during the second phase on April 18.  

(With agency inputs)