Police jawans take position at a strategic location near Bhadodih on Saturday. Picture by Srinivas

Jamshedpur, Aug. 1: Maoists burnt down two vegetable trucks coming from Bengal early this morning to mark the second and last day of their Jharkhand bandh, prompting security forces to lock in the rebels in a fierce encounter at Bhadodih near Patamda, 15km from here.

The exchange of fire was continuing and there were no casualties, till reports last came in. The police led by East Singhbhum SP Naveen Kumar Singh and CRPF jawans launched a massive combing operation in areas within the Dalma range.

Around 3.45am today, around 20-30 CPI(Maoists) cadres stopped the two trucks carrying vegetables to Jamshedpur and then torched them. “The trucks were coming from Gardetta in neighbouring Bengal. The vegetable consignment was meant for the sabzi mandi in Jamshedpur,” a villager, who was watching the gun battle from a safe distance, said.

As soon as the security forces reached the spot around 10.15am, they were fired upon by Maoists stationed atop the Dalma hills. The police retaliated and also asked their men to fan out and take strategic positions around the hills.

An anti-landmine vehicle was also deployed, but this time CRPF commandant Sanjay personally kept a watch on jawans and insisted that all followed safety norms.

“Have you all tightened your belts. Are you all wearing helmets,” he asked the eight jawans who had taken position inside the vehicle, to ensure there was no repeat of the June 12 Nawadih (Bokaro) incident when 11 policemen — apparently not wearing safety belts and helmets — were killed after rebels targeted an anti-landmine vehicle.

Forces ready, some policemen took positions along a long canal, while others moved towards Saldoha check post. By 1.15pm, Singh and his men had crossed the checkpost and entered the forests. By then, the anti-landmine vehicle had also reached the checkpost.

Singh said the Maoists wanted to attract attention on the last day of their bandh. He added that at least 15-20 rounds of firing had taken place in the morning, though villagers claimed the number would be much higher — in the range of 40 to 50 rounds.

“The Naxalites were making their presence felt in the Patamda region. They had stuck posters in Bhadodih and other villages too. It was the same group that had pasted posters near the forest guest house in the Dalma hills,” a local resident said.

The police and the CRPF were finding it difficult to sight the rebels as they moved around in the jungle. “We can see them moving around. They are clad in civil clothes but their faces are covered with white sheets of cloth,” a JAP jawan said.

As the encounter progressed, the security forces were closing in, with a jawan claiming that they were about 2,000 yards away from the rebels. The forces were planning to surround the Dalma hills and intensify their assault. Additional forces had been requisitioned from Jamshedpur.