Patna, October 28
Even before the Madhu Koda government in Jharkhand could get its acts together to combat the ultras following the massacre of 18 civilians by them at Chilkhadih village of Giridih district after midnight on Friday, Naxals struck again by killing four more people at Boda village of Latehar district, around 100 km from Ranchi. The fresh killings took place late Saturday night.

Reports reaching here said that the Union Home Ministry today sought a detailed report from the Jharkhand government about the Naxal-related violence in recent past.

Latehar SP Ravi Kant Dhan told mediapersons that four victims were first abducted from their villages and then killed in the nearby jungles late at night.

The timing of the fresh strike by Naxals in Latehar coincided with the dawn-to-dusk bandh called today by former CM Babulal Marandi's party, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Development), to protest Friday’s killings by the ultras. The CPM also supported the bandh.

Marandi’s son, Anup Marandi, was among 18 civilians killed on Friday by a band of 30 Naxals during a cultural festival at Giridih.

The death toll reportedly rose to 18, from the earlier 17, late on Saturday.

Rail and road traffic reportedly were badly affected in the state following the bandh call by JVM (D).

Official reports said that while the bandh was total in Simdega Gumla and Giridih, it evoked mixed response in Dumka, Pakur and Latehar districts.

The worst hit was the train service in Dhanbad railway division and transport services on the Grand Trunk Road.

Three Rajdhani Express trains, Delhi-Howrah, Delhi-Sealdah and Delhi-Bhubaneswar, were held up for four hours in various places in Dhanbad and Giridih districts today as bandh supporters squatted on railway tracks.

In Ranchi, bandh supporters hit the streets to enforce it. Police detained 54 supporters in Garwah and one person was taken into custody from Barvadih.

In Jamshedpur the bandh’s effect was near total.

The joint combing operations of the Bihar and Jharkhand police after the Friday’s massacre have not yielded any breakthroughs.

Babulal Marandi, while talking to mediapersons today, claimed that Naxals have already spread their “tentacles” in almost all the districts of Jharkhand .He accused the Madhu Koda government of failing to curb the menace.

Latehar: Meanwhile, three Naxalites were shot dead by security forces in an encounter in Jharkhand today in a crackdown against the extremists who killed four persons at Latehar last night in a fall-out of rivalry between two rival Maoist groups.

Latehar and Lohardaga district Superintendents of Police Ravikant Dhan and Subodh Prasad, respectively, said the bodies of the three were recovered from the spot.

The Maoists opened fire on the security forces who launched raids in areas in the two districts following the shooting down of four persons at Boda village in Latehar district last night, the police officers said. — PTI