Despite strict preparedness of the Jharkhand police, the Naxal’s on Friday reportedly blew up the BJP party office in Kharsawan in Saraikela district. As per reports, the Naxals triggered cane bombs in the BJP office around 12:30 am.
Former Jharkhand chief minister and BJP leader Arjun Munda, who is contesting from Khunti in the Lok Sabha poll operates from this particular office. This blast comes hours before BJP President Amit Shah’ is scheduled to hold a rally here.
As per reports, four Maoists, clothed in plain clothes, reached the spot around 12 midnight. Four BJP Karyakarta’s were reportedly sleeping in the office at that hour. The Naxal’s asked them to vacate the premises before triggering the bombs. No casualties have been reported.
Shockingly, the incident was executed even though Jharkhand police have been continuously reviewing the security situation in these areas. In fact, even on Thursday several senior officials including IG Campaign Ashish Batra, CRPF IG Sanjay Anand Latkar, visited Saraikela-Kharsawan and reportedly took stock of the law and order situation in these election-bound areas.
Kharsawan falls under Khunti parliamentary constituency, one of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand, which goes to poll on May 6.
Meanwhile, after receiving information about the incident, many BJP leaders and workers, including BJP candidate Arjun Munda, Ghatshila MLA Laxman Tudu, arrived at the spot and took stock of the situation. Terming it as a conspiracy, local BJP leaders said that the people of the Mahagathbandhan did not want BJP candidate Arjun Munda to win here.
When the police team led by SP Chandan Kumar Sinha reached the spot they recovered several Maoist pamphlets calling for a poll boycott in the region, lying at the blast site. Sinha said that IED and detonator have been used for the blast. The police investigating all aspects claimed that this incident will not affect the ongoing elections.
The Jharkhand police had earlier categorised 13 districts including Seraikela-Kharsawan, Khunti, as “most sensitive” during the elections. Before the Lok Sabha elections commenced, Jharkhand police had planned to deploy around 600 companies of paramilitary and state auxiliary forces to keep the law and order situation in control.
Meanwhile, prior to the fourth phase of the Lok Sabha elections, a similar blast was reported in an election office of the BJP at Hariharganj area of Palamu district last week. There too several Maoist pamphlets, calling for a poll boycott in the region, were found lying.
Recently, in a ghastly IED (Improvised Explosive Device) blast carried out by Naxals on Kurkheda-Korchi road in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra on May 1, around 16 security personnel and a driver had lost their lives in the attack. The landmine blast blew up two vehicles carrying a team of the C-60 commandoes, an anti-Naxal unit, who were patrolling the area.