4 cops killed in Maoist attack in Jharkhand

State BJP secretary Subodh Singh, who was returning from a poll rally, had a narrow escape.

NEW DELHI: Four police personnel were killed in a Maoist attack near Lutiakand, Latehar district, Jharkhand, on Friday night. The ambush was conducted just hours after BJP working president J.P. Nadda had addressed an election rally in the town and spoke about how Naxalism had been controlled in the state after the BJP came to power at the Centre and the state.

The deceased have been identified as ASI Sukra Oraon, home guard jawans Sikander Singh, Jamuna Prasad and Sambhu Prasad, a police officer said. All of them died after their patrol van was ambushed by the Maoists. Another jawan, who was part of the patrol party, escaped the attack as he had gone to attend nature’s call.

State BJP secretary Subodh Singh, who was returning from the election rally, had a narrow escape as his car, too, was fired upon by the Maoists, but he managed to escape.

On Thursday, Home Minister Amit Shah had addressed a rally at Manika, Latehar, just 30 km from the ambush site, during which he had also stressed upon how Naxalism had almost been eradicated from the state under the BJP rule.

Elections in Latehar are scheduled to take place on 30 November, counting for which will take place on 23 December. Assembly elections in the state for 81 seats are being conducted in five phases in view of the Naxal activity in the state.

Interestingly, even as the BJP has been focusing on how its government had almost eradicated Naxalism from the state, the Election Commission, while justifying holding the elections for only 81 seats in five phases, had said that 19 of 24 districts in the state were still Maoist-affected and 67 of 81 Assembly segments had presence of Maoists.