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Bihar death toll hits 31; repolling in 500 booths

The death toll in Monday's first phase of polling in 34 constituencies in Bihar rose to 31, with reports of more killings in landmine blasts pouring in from interior areas of the state today.

However, the state government today said that only 18 deaths had been reported so far, all in the Naxalite-dominated south and central Bihar.

Four government employees on poll duty were killed when the minibus in which they were carrying ballot boxes was blown up by a landmine. The blast occurred in the Bhandadih area, under the Dumri police limits, in the Naxalite-dominated Giridih constituency.

The blast also injured 3 people seriously, who are in the Giridih government hospital, while seven people who were on the bus are missing. The bus was proceeding to the district headquarters in Giridih town.

Two deaths were reported yesterday in yet another landmine blast in Garan police limits of the Lohardagga constituency. The victims included a forest guard and a jeep driver on patrolling duty.

A subinspector was killed when the patrol party carrying ballot boxes to Ghosi segment of the Naxalite-dominated Jehanabad constituency from Bandhuganj area was ambushed. Three other armed jawans, however, escaped with the ballot boxes, the police said.

Another civilian was shot dead when Samata Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal activists clashed in Niranjanpur village under the Mehandia police limits in the Jehanabad constituency.

Three extremists of the Lalkhandi group were killed yesterday in an exchange of fire with the police deep in the jungles in the adjoining Koderma constituency, but the victims's bodies were snatched away by the Naxalites.

The police fired into the air to quell a mob that went on a rampage in Giridih town on hearing the news of the government employees's death. Many people in the mob were relatives of those killed in the Dumri area.

Eleven policemen were injured when the mob pelted stones and burnt a vehicle of a central poll observer. The mob also blocked roads in Giridih to protest against the lax security arrangements which led to the death of the government employees.

With the situation going out of control, the police opened fire in the air to disperse the mob, comprising mainly of government employees.

District Deputy Commissioner Amarendra Pratap Singh said a search for the seven employees missing from the scene of blast was under way. He also promised to sanction Rs 250,000 as ex gratia for the kin of the deceased and Rs 25,000 for the injured.

In Patna, Bihar Chief Secretary B P Verma said that despite calls by extremists to boycott the election and terror tactics employed, over 50 per cent of the electorate exercised its franchise in the Naxalite-dominated areas of Bihar.

He denied the "exaggerated accounts" of deaths as reported by the press, and stated that the government had reports of only four deaths in poll violence and 14 in landmine blasts.

He, however, said the authorities were verifying all the reports for confirmation regarding poll incidents and maintained that the death toll so far was only 18, excluding the three encounter deaths of the Lalkhandi extremists.

Verma said that 35 people, including 10 security personnel, were injured in the blasts and other attacks by extremist outfits.

He said landmine blasts claimed four lives each in Bokaro and Giridih followed by two lives each in Gaya, Chhatra, Jehanabad and Palamau districts. One death each was also reported from Bhojpur and Munger districts.

The state chief secretary declared that the government would provide full treatment of the injured policemen and polling personnel while a member of each family of the deceased would be given a job and adequate ex gratia.

The authorities are now evolving strategies to counter the extremist offensive especially in view of the rising use of explosive devices.

The Election Commission office in Patna is yet to decide on which booths should go in for repoll. The state chief electoral office in Patna is busy listing out the booths where repolling is to be held on February 18. About 500 booths were declared disturbed, of which 400 were in Patna city alone.

In another development, three police personnel engaged in election work in the district were suspended for dereliction of duty.

Police Superintendent R S Bhatti said in Gopalganj that the suspended policemen had refused to obey orders following which they were suspended. He said these personnel had been asked to submit their arms and report to the police headquarters.

Meanwhile, Samata Party candidate and former Union minister Krishna Shahi staged an agitation in Begusarai district headquarters. She was protesting against what she called large-scale rigging and booth-capturing by Congress candidate Rajo Singh, who is the chief whip in the state assembly.

EARLIER REPORT:
26 killed in poll violence

Elections '98

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