Jamshedpur, April 5: Rebels have called for a poll boycott at Chaliama and Baghadih villages at the foothills of Dalma under Nimdih police station in Seraikela-Kharsawan district.

The outlawed rebel outfit, Communist Party of India (Maoist), has made the appeal through a poster campaign in the two villages, leading to fear among villagers. The rebels had fixed as many as seven posters on the walls of the Panchayat Bhavan and primary health centres in Chaliama and also on trees.

Acting on a tip-off that that the rebels had asked villagers to boycott the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Seraikela-Kharsawan district superintendent of police Sheetal Oraon sent a police party to Chaliama today. The police removed the posters with the help of villagers.

A joint contingent of police and para-military forces, led by deputy superintendent of police, Madan Mohan Lal organised a meeting of Chaliama residents and asked them not to panic at the poll boycott call.

The police and para-military forces later undertook long-range patrolling at Dungridih jungle and Dalma, about 45km from here.

Oraon said the call for poll boycott was given by the Dalma squad of the rebel outfit’s Bundu-Chandil sub-zonal committee, which has jurisdiction from Bundu to Chandil, and Dalma to Kuchai.

The Bundu-Chandil sub-zonal committee was in the news since 2008 when, among other incidents, Rs 5.2 crore was robbed by rebels at Tamar and JD(U) leader Ramesh Singh Munda was gunned down.

Situated at the foothills of Dalma hills, Chaliama and Baghadih have been the centre of activity for rebels for quite some time. The rebels had opened fire at police parties at least twice over the past year.

The first time the rebels had opened fire in an encounter was in May 2008 when the former superintendent of police Laxman Prasad Singh was leading an LRP group. The second occurred this year in March.

The rebels had swooped over a police party at Chaliama last month when the deputy superintendent of police, Chandil Madan Mohan Lal, was leading an LRP team to the foothills of Dalma.

The Seraikela-Kharsawan superintendent of police told The Telegraph today that they had already deployed a large number of forces at Chaliama.

“We have already deployed three companies of para-military forces in view of the increased rebel activities at the foothills of the Dalma. But keeping in view the situation, more forces are required,” Oraon said.

He pointed out that the deployment of more forces was necessary, as the local residents were afraid of unseen danger following the poll boycott call by the rebels.