Jharkhand: Maoist attack rattles bureaucrats

Ranchi, July 3: The fatal attack on a district police captain by the Maoists yesterday has left the bureaucracy here concerned, as Jharkhand paid tearful farewell to the slain Pakur SP Amarjit Balihar.

"Have we become a soft target?" a top IAS official posed the question to a CRPF officer after laying a wreath on the body of Pakur SP Amarjit Balihar who became another victim of the Maoist violence in the state.

The CRPF officer, who wishes to remain incognito, explained that the jungles around Dumka/Pakur had been cordoned off and no one would be allowed to slip away. Explaining the modus operandi of the extremists, he said that the Naxalites come in large numbers and melt among the people in small groups after carrying out an attack. "They hide their arms in the forests," the police officer said.

At least 30 rebels were killed and more than 294 Naxalites of different extremist groups, including CPI (Maoist), arrested this year in the state.

The police has been continuously carrying out operations in various districts like Latehar, Palamau, Garhwa, Chatra, Ranchi and Khunti. Now its focus will be on Dumka, particularly Ramgarh, Kathikund and Gopikandar blocks, where Maoist violence had been reported earlier too.

PTI