Maoists blow up 3 school buildings in Jharkhand, 1 in Bihar

Maoists blew up three school buildings in Giridih and Palamau districts in poll-bound Jharkhand and a state-run school in Aurangabad district in neighbouring Bihar, police said on Tuesday.

A group of Maoists late last night triggered a blast at Manjiladih Primary School in Jharkhand's Giridih district destroying the school building, district Superintendent of Police Ravi Kant Dhan said today. A police team has been rushed to the spot, he added.

A separate group of Maoists also blew up two middle schools at Dhigcha and Kukukala villages in Palamau district last night, district Superintendent of Police, Jatin Narwal, told newsmen in Medininagar. Borders with Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have been sealed as the police launched anti-Naxal operations, he added.

Palamau goes to polls in the last phase on December 18 in the five-phase assembly polls in Jharkhand beginning tomorrow. Elections will be held in Giridih on December 2 and 8. Maoists have been attacking schools to prevent security forces from using them as shelters during their anti-naxal operations.

According to reports, Maoist have also pasted posters in Palamau district calling for a poll boycott.

A report from neighbouring Bihar said Maoists blasted a state-run school building at Bara in Aurangabad district late last night. Around 100 ultras assembled at the primary school and blew it up by planting dynamite, police said.

It was believed that the Maoists carried out the operation after coming to know about the state's plan to set up a police picket there, they said. A combing operation has been launched to nab the ultras.