Maoists blow-up panchayat bhavan in Palamau

Maoists blew-up a panchayat bhavan at Chahapur in Jharkhand's Palamau district early on Tuesday during the 48-hour shutdown called by them in five states to protest police operations at Lalgarh in West Bengal.

Maoists blew-up a panchayat bhavan at Chahapur in Jharkhand's Palamau district early on Tuesday during the 48-hour shutdown called by them in five states to protest police operations at Lalgarh in West Bengal.

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A group of about 20 armed Maoists descended on the vacant panchayat bhavan at around 3 am, packed it with explosives and blew it up, Superintendent of Police Mohit Bundus told reporters in Medininagar (Jharkhand).

The roof of the building blew off, the walls cracked and the furniture were burnt to cinder due to the explosion, Bundus said.

Following the blast, security personnel launched a search operation near Chahapur, about 190 kms from Ranchi.

Today is the second-day of the bandh called by the Maoists in five naxal-hit states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and Chhattisgarh.