Naxals killed a contractor’s clerk and set ablaze one JCB machine, one tractor and one motorcycle engaged in road construction work in Gomia’s Tutijharna under Gomia block in Bokaro in Jharkhand on Friday. The Munshi (clerk) was identified as Ramesh Manjhi, ASP Anjani Anjan said.
The incident took place between Gomia and Tutijharna villages, where the road construction work was going on under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana, the ASP said.
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A group of armed Naxals stormed the construction site, located around 17 km from Gomia town and about 45 km from the Bokaro Steel City, and threatened the labourers to stop the work.
“The goons then set ablaze a JCB machine, one tractor, and a motorcycle after that they then dragged Ramesh Manjhi out and shot him dead. Later, Manjhi’s body, with his head smashed with an axe, was found near the construction site”, he said.
The Naxal terrorists took out diesel the JCB engaged in the road construction, poured the fuel on the earthmover and torched it, along with other two vehicles.
Before leaving the spot, the Maoists left posters saying that they are not pleased with the road construction and ordering the contractor to stop the work. The posters said that the state government was constructing the road to pave the way to loot minerals from the area.
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The deceased, 60-year-old Ramesh Manjhi, is a native of Pindra village in Gomia Block of Bokaro district, and a relative of the contractor who had won the tender to build a road from Pindra to Tuti Jharna under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana.
Soon after getting information about the Naxal attack, security forces were rushed to the spot and the Manjhi’s body was brought to Tenughat for post-mortem. A search operation has been launched to trace the Naxals. Earlier, Naxals had burnt several vehicles and machines engaged in road construction between Gomia and Jhumra in the district.
Naxals have frequently tried to disrupt road construction works in the Bermo subdivision, by launching attacks on security forces and damaging the roads, and vehicles and machines used in the work, a senior police official had earlier said.