Alert in 9 districts of Vidarbha after Mahto killing

Nagpur, Mar 5 (UNI) An alert has been sounded in nine of the eleven districts in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra in view of yesterday's assassination of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Sunil Mahato by suspected Naxalites at Kesharpur in East Singbhum district of Jharkhand.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Anti-Naxalite Operation (ANO) Pankaj Gupta told UNI an alert was already in place in the Naxal-infested districts of Vidarbha.

The police machinery has been further alerted in these as and the districts where elections to the Zilla Parishads (ZP) are being held on March 11, he said.

The alert is in place in Nagpur, Wardha, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Amravati, Yavatmal and Buldhana districts of the region, he said. Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Bhandara, Gondia and Yavatmal districts are considered Naxalite-infested.

The ZP elections are being held in Nagpur, Wardha, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Amravati, Buldhana and Yavatmal districts.

Mr Gupta said police officials in each district have been told to review the security in the area under their jurisdiction and to make decisions depending upon the local circumstances.

UNI