Maoist rebels torched 6 vehicles at the junction of Chhaterpur Hussainabad in Palamu last evening. There is no loss of life. The vehicles were engaged in the making of a road there under the PM Gram Sadak Yojna.
SDPO Chhaterpur Ajay Kumar has confirmed the incident saying Nitesh squad is suspected of arsoning.
Although the Maoists have struck hard by torching 6 vehicles, it's nothing like their resurrection. There is no comeback from them. The Maoists did hit news lines but it is more a situation born and not any might of the Maoists, said sources.
Sources said burning vehicles by the Maoists is always a soft target and they look for moments when there is a let down to guard either by the construction company or by the police but here in this case of the burning at the junction of Chhaterpur Hussainabad, the Chhaterpur police was not duly informed by the company of their pack up plan from that particular site.
Thus the Maoists got a chance to strike terror if the road construction company had not kept the local police in dark about its packing up from there.
Sources said the road construction company often makes distance from the police fearing police will be asking for cushion money little realising that a proper intimation to the police about their construction schedule is more in interest of their safety and security than police eyeing for any lucrative gains.
There was a day or two of work left on that piece of road and the company just in haste to get over it didn't find reason to inform the police which the Maoists exploited to the hilt.
Maoists strike construction sites on two occasions. First when it starts. Last when the construction is going to wind up. Sources said both the occasions are conducive to the Maoists as on the start and on winding up there is always a sleek security and not any enormous cover.
Here this little over 13 km stretch of road was having construction without any naxal problem as the police were monitoring it and the construction company too used to park vehicles etc at the Lathiya police picket.
But as the work of black topping was just left to be done and finished in a day or two the construction company didn't tell the police about its pack up plan and here the Maoists made the best of their sinister plan by setting afire 6 vehicles.
SDPO Chhaterpur Ajay Kumar said the police could have checkmated to the Maoists if the construction company had informed the police in advance of its move out from there for another patch of work at the same road which incidentally falls in the congested human habitation where Maoists could never muster courage to do any folly of arsoning.
The Maoists burnt down 2 hiwas, 2 tractors, 1 bike and I grader.
