Six senior police officers and an equal number of politicians are on the Maoist hit list.

The state police headquarters swung into action and beefed up the security of the officers in the rank of the superintendent of police (SP) and the deputy inspector-general (DIG) in the wake of an alert sounded by the central intelligence agencies on Wednesday stating that the rebels were planning to carry out major operations during the Lok Sabha elections.

Sources said the security of the SPs of Jamui, Munger, Banka and Lakhisarai had been beefed up in the wake of intelligence inputs that the Naxalites were planning to attack them during the Lok Sabha polls. Two DIGs posted in Munger and Bhagalpur police ranges have also been asked to remain vigilant till the elections were over.

Jamui district police chief Jitendra Singh Rana and his Munger counterpart Varun Kumar Sinha have been told not to reveal their movements in the Maoist- hit areas in advance.

Similarly, Banka superintendent of police Pushkar Anand and his Lakhisarai counterpart Ashok Kumar have been asked to remain extra cautious during the polls.

The names of DIG (Munger) Sudhanshu Kumar and his Bhagalpur counterpart Sanjay Singh also figure on the hit list of the Maoists. The two senior officers have been asked to take all precautionary measures during their visits to rural areas under their jurisdiction to review poll preparedness.

The officers have been told to avoid visit of remote areas with a few security personnel. They have been suggested to strengthen their intelligence network in rural areas for verification of information about any subversive activities carried out by the rebels.

The central intelligence agencies also apprehended attacks on some politicians. They did not rule out the possibility of attack on Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary, JD(U) MP from Munger Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh and the BJP legislator, Prem Ranjan Patel, during electioneering.

While Lalan Singh is contesting from Munger on the ticket of the ruling JD(U), Chaudhary is a JD(U) nominee from Jamui. Patel is a BJP MLA from Surajgarha in Lakhisarai district. All the three districts are considered hotbed of the Maoists.

Inspector-general (Patna zone) Sushil Khopade, who was present during the last week’s meeting to chalk out the strategy to deal with the Maoists during the elections, said the borders of the districts with neighbouring Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh would be sealed on the polling days. Special operations have been launched in the Naxalite-hit areas of the districts falling under the Patna police zone.

IG (Bhagalpur) Jitendra Kumar said a detailed action plan had been drafted to thwart the Maoists’ plan to disrupt the polls.

A senior police officer posted in the state intelligence cell said that the Maoists were desperate to free their leaders lodged in different jails. “The Maoists’ plan to carry out attack on jails came to the fore during the interrogation of Lal Das Mochi alias Mukesh, who was arrested in Patna yesterday (Tuesday),” he told The Telegraph.

Mukesh also told the interrogators that the banned outfit bought 16 vehicles recently.