Villagers in Latehar district, Jharkhand, resisted a police investigation into the obstruction of a ground survey by a coal mining unit, citing the Panchayats Extension to the Scheduled Areas (PESA) Act.
Pappu Lohra, the chief of the Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP), a Maoist splinter group, was killed in a gunfight with security forces in Jharkhand's Latehar district on Saturday morning. Lohra was carrying a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head. Another Maoist was also killed in the encounter.
Maoists exploded a series of landmines in the forests of Latehar district and exchanged gunfire with security personnel early on Thursday before the polling began for the Chatra Lok Sabha seat in Jharkhand.
"Nine bodies of the Maoists were recovered after the encounter at Luhur jungle under Barwadih police station," Latehar Superintendent of Police Kuldweep Diwedi told PTI over phone.
Security forces say Naxals have amassed nearly Rs 1,500 crore through extortion, kidnapping, looting and the narcotics trade.
The stage is now set for the first substantial round of polling in the Lok Sabha elections on Thursday, involving nearly 11 crore voters in 92 seats spread across 11 states, including Delhi and the national capital region and the riot-hit Muzaffarnagar.
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