Maoists trigger landmine blast in West Bengal

Jamboni (West Bengal), May 1 (ANI): A landmine blast triggered by the Maoists claimed the lives of three persons, including two polling officials in West Bengal on Thursday.

The blast, which took place at around 6:00 p.m. in Jamboni region of West Midnapore district of the state, was triggered using a remote device.

The blast was aimed at the polling officials returning from election duty under the security of paramilitary personnel. Two polling officials and the driver were killed in the blast.

In another incident, a paramilitary personnel lost his life in a landmine blast in Purulia region of the state.

The attacks came on the third-phase of polling and were seen as an attempt to disrupt the otherwise peaceful poll process in West Bengal.

In the past few weeks, several police personnel and other officials had been fatally attacked across four states - Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa termed as the 'Red Belt' due to the presence of ultra Maoist-Leninists.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had described Maoist violence as India's biggest internal security threat. (ANI)