Maoists kidnap 7 poll officials, kill one in blast: Police

The officials were on their way early this morning to conduct panchayat elections at polling station number 31 and 44 when the Maoists detonated a landmine on a road at Mariam hillock and took away with them seven members of the poll party, ADG (HQ) Rajyavardhan Sharma told reporters here.

The accompanying Special Task Force personnel fired on the Maoists in retaliatory action near Chhurchuriya village under Charkapatthar police station, he said.

However, there was no report of any injury or casualty on the part of the Maoists.
The landmine blast also injured the driver Arun Mandal and a poll official Surya Narayan Yadav, Sharma said, adding the duo was taken to a hospital where Mandal died.
Security personnel comprising STF and CRPF men were combing the area to rescue the abducted polling party members, Sharma said, but refused to divulge their names.
The Maoists had given a panchayat poll boycott call in Jamui district.The ninth and penultimate phase of panchayat election was held today.