RANCHI: The Maoists have unleashed a fresh wave of violence in the Saranda jungles of West Singhbhum, setting ablaze a mobile tower in Kolbonga village under Jaraikela police station area on Saturday night. This latest attack coincides with the Maoists’ ‘Resistance Week’, being observed by them in five states, including Jharkhand.
Police have termed the incident an act of desperation, as they have been tightening their grip on the Maoists in the region. The security forces have been working tirelessly to neutralise Maoist threats in the area, and this incident is seen as a reaction to their efforts, they said.
“The Maoists have carried out this incident out of desperation as they have surrounded by the security forces from all sides,” said Amit Renu, Superintendent of Police, West Singhbhum. A campaign against the Maoists has been launched in the region to track those who were involved in it, he added.
According to reports, armed Maoists went to the village and threatened and drove away the people near the tower and set the mobile tower on fire after pouring petrol on it. Following the incident, mobile network services in the area has been disrupted completely and people are facing problems due to the communication outage.
Earlier on Friday, the Maoists targeted security forces by triggering four IED blasts, in which Head Constable Mahendra Laskar was killed, while two officers were seriously injured. Both injured were airlifted to a hospital in Delhi on Saturday. Notably, Maoists are observing Resistance Week from October 8 to 14 in Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, and Assam. They have also announced a one-day bandh on October 15.