PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, April 5: CPI – Maoist rebels resorted to indiscriminate firing on a CRPF camp under Toklo thana area of Chakradharpur block in neighbouring West Singhbhum district on Monday night.
West Singhbhum police confirmed the incident which took place around 9 pm. The CRPF camp is located at Bharnia panchayat.
“A group of rebels opened six to seven rounds of firing on CRPF’s 157 Battalion camp. They later fled to the nearby forest taking advantage of darkness,” said a senior police official of Toklo thana.
Search operations and long-range patrolling began in the nearby forest soon after the attack.
The attack took place hours before the 24-hour bandh call by the outlawed rebel outfit, which came into effect from Monday midnight.
CPI-Maoist’s called for a bandh in protest against the recent arrest of senior Maoist and central committee member Kanchan Da.
Apart from Jharkhand, the bandh is effective in Chhatisgarh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam.
The intelligence department had earlier issued an alert of a possible attack by the rebels.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made in Chaibasa (West Singhbhum), Seraikela, Latehar, Gumla and Lohardaga which are vulnerable from the Naxal point of view.
Patrolling was intensified on the national highways and state highways since last evening in view of the bandh.
Night vigil and escorts were increased on trains passing through Tatanagar and other stations of South Eastern Railway’s Chakradharpur railway division.
