Maoist faction shadow over elections

RANCHI: There are fresh concerns over the ability of Maoists or their splinter groups to disrupt the assembly elections following Monday's killing of seven villagers of Gumla district by activists of Maoist splinter People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI).

PLFI is dominant in at least 10 of Jharkhand's 81 assembly seats -Khunti, Torpa, Kolebira, Gumla, Lohardaga, Sisai, Tamar, Mandar, Bishunpur, Simdega -and they are known to throw their weight behind candidates of their choice. "Forces are combing parts of Gumla district. The entire area will be sanitized before polls. The rebels are frustrated because of repeated police action against them," DGP Rajiv Kumar said.

Chief secretary Sajal Chakraborty and other senior police offic ers visited Gumla on Tuesday."Two of the seven killed were SPOs (special police officers) and working to halt PLFI activities," Gumla SP Bheemsen Tuti said.

PLFI is the second biggest threat to internal security in Jharkhand after CPI (Maoists). Police claim that unlike Maoists, PLFI does not stick to an ideology and that makes their attacks deadlier. They target policemen, businessmen, civilians and almost anyone.

During the recent Lok Sabha polls, PLFI stopped several candidates from campaigning in their constituencies and asked villagers to vote for certain candidates. FIRs were lodged against militants who had ordered villagers of Khunti district not to vote for anyone other than Jharkhand Party's Enosh Ekka.

Those who oppose PLFI diktats are threatened. "PLFI rebels will use Monday's massacre to create an environment of terror and force villagers to vote for certain candidates. The incident has sparked panic," said a Congress leader from Gumla.

Several candidates in PLFI strongholds are known to be hand-in-glove with the rebels.In May , police filed an FIR against Ekka for traveling in a car that belonged to a wanted PLFI rebel.

Maoists put up anti-poll posters

DHANBAD: Maoist rebels have stepped up their activities in Giridih to disrupt the assembly election that begins on November 25.

The rebel outfit has put up posters asking villagers to boycott the election.