Naxalites on rampage, two killed, vehicles burnt

GAYA: A police jawan and a civilian were killed in an encounter as naxalites went on the rampage on Sunday burning over a dozen vehicles in Bihar's Gaya district during their day-long bandh called to protest the recent arrest of their leaders.

The CPI (Maoist) rebels burned 13 trucks and two buses at places under Amas and Barachatti police stations, official sources said.

Hundreds of heavily armed guerrillas of the banned organisation set ablaze six trucks and two buses on NH 2 (Grand Trunk Road) under Amas police station around 1.30 am.

As a Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) contingent comprising ex-servicemen reached the spot, an encounter began in which jawan Shanker Singh was killed. The driver of a private bus, Kameswar Rai, also died in the cross fire.

The naxalites took away some passengers of a bus as cover for their escape but later released them, the sources said.

In another incident at a place under Barachatti police station, the maoists set afire seven trucks.

The CPI (Maoist) have called a bandh in Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to protest against the recent arrest of its top leaders including its chief of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and North Bihar Tushar Kant Bhattacharya.

Bhattacharya, hailing from Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh, wanted in several cases in Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, was arrested by special task force from Dujra locality in Patna on September 19.