The shadow of Maoists got a bit longer on Sunday, when they held a ‘jan adalat’ (people’s court) to enforce the poll boycott call in their areas of influence.
The ‘court’ was held in Jamui, from where Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan’s son Chirag, a former actor, is contesting his first election against Bihar assembly speaker Uday Narain Choudhary, a JD(U) nominee who has been accused of having links with the Maoists.
Sources said at the ‘jan adalat’, held in a forest area close to the Vishunpur village in the so-called red corridor, the ultras threatened people against casting votes in the poll.
According to sources, a group of Maoists, led by a local commander, Pargati, held the Jan Adalat in the outskirt of a village while another squad barricaded the village.
Earlier, the Maoists put up posters and banners in Sono, Jhajha, Simultala, Khaira, Sikandara and other villages, threatening the local residents to stay away from elections and instead assert their rights over forest, water and land.
Besides the villagers, the Maoists are targeting the candidates and other politicians for encouraging the people to vote. But the police said they were prepared for the Maoist challenge.
“The election will be held according to the law, and we have prepared very well for it. We are hoping the poll will happen without any disruptions,” said Jamui superintendent of police Jitendra Rana.
{{/usCountry}}“The election will be held according to the law, and we have prepared very well for it. We are hoping the poll will happen without any disruptions,” said Jamui superintendent of police Jitendra Rana.
{{/usCountry}}He said at least 40 companies of paramilitary forces were being deployed to ensure a free and fair poll.
In Dumaria block, part of the Aurangabad Lok Sabha seat in Gaya in south-central Bihar, banners, posters, flags and mikes were removed from the offices of political parties, following a threat from Maoists. But the police said that no one had complained about any such threat.