By IANS,
Ranchi: Maoist rebels shot dead and set afire a truck driver’s assistant and set ablaze three trucks laden with bauxite in Jharkhand’s Gumla district Thursday morning, police said. In another incident, Maoists blew up a government school in Giridih district.
“The truck driver’s assistant was shot and then burnt by the Maoists. The rebels also set on fire three trucks,” said Superintendent of Police Narendra Kumar Singh.
The incident occurred near Amaradhalan village on the Visunpur-Ghaghra national highway in Gumla district, around 145 km from Ranchi. The bauxite-laden trucks were going to the Hindalco factory.
The drivers of the trucks managed to escape.
“People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI), a Maoist organisation, has owned responsibility for the incident by leaving a pamphlet,” Singh said.
In the pamphlet, PLFI area commander Bhushan Lakra said: “The PLFI wanted to resolve some public interest issue with Hindalco, but Hindalco did not come forward to resolve the issue. The incident is the outcome of the indifferent attitude of Hindalco towards our demands.”
According to Singh: “The incident seems to be the outcome of denial of levy by Hindalco.”
Instances of Maoists setting ablaze trucks laden with bauxite are quite common in Gumla and Lohardaga districts.
Meanwhile, in another incident, Maoist rebels blew up a government school in Kurko village of Giridih district late Wednesday. Till now, Maoist rebels have blasted more than 40 government school buildings in the past three years.