By IANS,
Kolkata : Three people, including two poll officials, were killed and two paramilitary troopers injured Thursday when landmines, planted by suspected Maoist guerrillas to disrupt elections, went off in West Bengal’s Maoist-hit districts.
The two polling sector office personnel and their car driver were killed in a landmine explosion targeting poll officials, who were returning from a forest area in the violence-hit West Midnapore district in the evening, inspector General of police (Western Range) Kuldip singh told IANS.
“We have heard that three persons have died,” he said.
Inspector General of police (law and order) Raj Kanojia said the police have already reached the spot and started investigations.
“We’re constantly in touch with our men out there. The blast took place near Jamboni area in the district,” Kanojia said.
The blast occurred between Dahijuri and Baroshal, two Leftist insurgency-hit areas.
The landmine was triggered when a convoy of poll officials, escorted by police and paramilitary troopers, was passing through Kapaguri forest region.
The police have sealed off an area of three kilometer radius from the spot.
In the morning, two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were injured in a low-intensity landmine blast in Balrampur area in the Maoist-hit Purulia district. The landmine exploded near a polling station, said state home secretary Ardhendu Sen.
Another landmine was defused by the police at Raidibera area of Purulia district.
Purulia, West Midnapore and Bankura are the three Maoist-affected districts located in the western part of the state.