Polling booth relocated fearing Maoist landmine in J'kand

(

), Apr 17: A polling booth has to be relocated in Naxal-affected Kasiabeda area in Ghatsila sub-division on suspicion that a landmine was planted near the original venue by Maoists to disrupt parliamentary elections.

The building where the polling was to be held was sanitised after the security personnel detected a wire near it, Senior Superintendent of Police A V Homkar said.

Addressing a press conference, jointly with Returning Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner of East Singhbhum Dr Amitabh Kaushal here, Homkar said the polling centre was immediately relocated in a building around 60 metre away from the original centre before the polling began this morning.

The polling in the relocated centre under Jamshedpur parliamentary constituency was conducted smoothly, they said.

"As our priority was to conduct the polling free and fair, we have sanitised the building on security reasons," they said, adding that the bomb disposal squad would inspect the building and defuse, if any explosive was found, tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Kaushal said as per the preliminary report, 65 per cent polling was recorded in the Jamshedpur constituency. One sortie of air-lifting of polling personnel from remote and naxal-affected areas could not be taken place due to bad weather, he said.

PTI