By IANS
Ranchi : At least 17 people, including the son of former chief minister Babulal Marandi, were killed while four were injured in a Maoist attack in Jharkhand’s Giridih district early Saturday, police officials said.
The incident took place in Chilkhari village of Giridih district, about 290 km from state capital Ranchi.
According to the police, around 30 to 40 rebels of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) dressed in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) uniforms attacked Chilkhari at around 1 a.m. Saturday while the villagers were engrossed in watching a cultural programme organised by Nunulal Marandi, the brother of Babulal Marandi.
Mahesh Ganju, a villager, said: “We thought that the they (Maoist rebels) were CRPF personnel and had come to provide security to us. Gradually they surrounded us and we thought it was security cover but then they started firing on us.”
Babulal Marandi was also expected to attend the programme but wasn’t able to do so. However, his younger son Anup attended the event and was killed along with 16 others when Maoist guerrillas fired indiscriminately at the gathering.
Arun Kumar Singh, the superintendent of police of Giridih district, said: “Seventeen people were killed while four others, including two women, were injured in the Maoist attack.”
Babulal Marandi said: “My family has been the target of Maoist rebels for a long time as we have been fighting against them and organising villagers to rebel against them.”
Chief Minister Madhu Koda has announced compensation for the kin of those killed.
Koda said: “The families of those killed will be given Rs.100,000 and one member of each family will be given a job.
“This is an act of cowardice by the Maoists and we will vigorously fight their nefarious activities,” the chief minister added.
Chilkhari lies near the Jharkhand-Bihar border. Police forces of both states have started a joint search for the Maoist rebels involved in the attack.
This has been the biggest civilian killing in the state since it was carved out from Bihar in November 2000.
Maoist rebels are active in 18 of the 24 districts in the state. Nearly 950 people, including 310 security personnel, have been killed in Jharkhand in Maoist related violence.