Maoists blow up school, health centre in Bihar

In the second strike in 24 hours, about 500 heavily armed Maoists encircled a village in Gaya district of Bihar and blew up a primary health centre, a middle school and community hall.

Earlier, the Maoists had blown up a police building in the same Chonha village on Saturday morning. It was the eighth Maoist attack in the district this month.

The Maoists also raided the two-storeyed house of a big farmer and former mukhiya of Narainpur panchayat of the Naxal-infested Dumaria block. Using walkie-talkies, they directed the farmer's wife, daughter and two maid servants, to move out of the house before dynamites were thrown in.

The farmer's son Rizwan Khan said the Maoists looted about 100 quintals of rice, an equal quantity of wheat, 10 quintals of potatoe and onion and some jewellery from the house.

According to Rizwan, he was in a neighbouring village when the Maoists started encircling his village. He immediately informed senior police officers, "but the police reached only after everything was over''.

Admitting that she got information about the movement of the Maoists, Magadh Range DIG Anupama Nilekar claimed that immediate steps were taken and police parties dispatched to the village.link