Amid palpable fears that the Maoists entrenched in Bihar’s southern districts may unleash violence to disrupt the sixth and last phase of Assembly polls slated for Saturday, the state’s police have taken elaborate security precautions to let polling in the 26 constituencies take place peacefully.
Following an Intelligence Bureau (IB) report said to have warned about high possibilities of landmines being laid by the leftwing rebels in the hilly and forested parts of three districts, the Bihar police brass reportedly sought help from explosives experts from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand earlier this week. Bomb-disposal squads were pressed to the task of locating and defusing the landmines in areas considered strategic by the rebels both to ambush police vehicles and launch gunfire.
The Maoists, whose sporadic and weakened attacks during the last five phases of polls beginning October 21 largely failed to scare off voters, have renewed their call for a boycott of the last phase of polls being conducted in five districts — Rohtas, Aurangabad, Buxar, Kaimur and Gaya — where they hold sway.
Polling time has been reduced by two hours — to end at 3pm instead of 5pm — in 18 of the 26 constituencies going to the polls. P.K. Thakur, the spokesman and ADG of Bihar police, described the security arrangements for the final phase of polls as “very elaborate and unprecedented” and said Gaya and Aurangabad districts would have “100 per cent deployment of the central paramilitary forces”.
A police crackdown on Maoist dens and activities since last month has led to the seizure of huge quantities of explosives and material used in their making. But the police is feeling the stress about landmines that are kept hidden.