Naxal violence: Three top officials of Latehar removed

Three top officials in Jharkhand have been removed from their posts in the wake of widespread naxal violence in Latehar district disrupting the first phase polling on April 16, official sources said. The action of the authorities in the state, which is under President's Rule, comes a fortnight after widespread naxal violence shook Latehar district, including the naxal seize of a passenger train near Hehegarha in that area.

Updated on: May 1, 2009, 11:53:58 IST

PTI | By HT Correspondent, Ranchi

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Three top officials in Jharkhand have been removed from their posts in the wake of widespread naxal violence in Latehar district disrupting the first phase polling on April 16, official sources said on Friday.

Those given the marching orders are Latehar's Deputy Commissioner Sarvendu Tathagat, Deputy Inspector General of Police Nandu Prasad and Superintendent of Police Hemant Toppo.

While Tathagat has been asked to join the personnel department, both Prasad and Toppo have been asked to report to the state police headquarters, the sources said.

The action of the authorities in the state, which is under President's Rule, comes a fortnight after widespread naxal violence shook Latehar district, including the naxal seize of a passenger train near Hehegarha in that area.

The naxalites had triggered two separate landmine blasts on April 16 and 17, killing ten persons, including seven BSF personnel, at Ladhup and Kone villages in Latehar district.

The banned ultra left-wing extremists also seized for over four hours a local passenger train carrying nearly 700 persons near Hehegarha railway station in the district.

A 1999-batch IAS officer, Rahul Kumar Purwar will replace Tathagat as Latehar's new Deputy Commissioner.

Purwar was the Chief Executive Officer of Ranchi Municipal Corporation.

The administration has also replaced DIG (Palamau range) Nandu Prasad with Shashinath Jha, who was till now posted at the police training centre, Hazaribagh.

The Superintendent of Police (Ranchi rural), Kuldeep Dwivedi, will take over as the new police chief of Latehar district, replacing Toppo.

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