Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024: Hours before second phase of polls, Maoists torch five trucks in Latehar

Latehar, Jharkhand: Hours before the commencement of the second and final phase of the Jharkhand assembly elections on Wednesday, five trucks were torched allegedly by Maoists in Latehar district, police said.

The incident occurred in Laat forest under the jurisdiction of Herhanj Police Station around 1:30 am, a senior officer said.

The trucks were deployed in coal transportation at the Tubed coal project in Latehar.

“The trucks were returning after dumping coal when they were set on fire by members of the banned Jharkhand Prastuti Committee (JPC), a splinter group of Maoists. An investigation has been initiated and raids are being conducted to arrest the perpetrators of the crime,” Latehar Superintendent of Police Kumar Gaurav said.

The Maoists left a pamphlet at the spot in which they threatened to stop the work of loading and transporting at the Tubed coal project until talks are held with the banned outfit, he said.

According to truck drivers, around 12 Maoists arrived in the forest and started firing indiscriminately.

"Truck drivers were asked to get down from their vehicles. Several rounds of bullets were fired before the trucks were torched," another officer said.

Polling for 38 assembly seats in the second and final phase of the Jharkhand elections is under way on Wednesday, amid tight security arrangements.

Voting began at 7 am in 14,218 booths across 12 districts and will continue till 5 pm.

Latehar went to poll in the first phase of elections, which were held on November 13.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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