Koderma, March 26: District authorities have proposed to set up six checkpoints at strategic locations to combat possible rebel attacks and criminal activities in the run-up to the April 20 Lok Sabha election in Koderma.
A police checkpoint will operate on the Jharkhand-Bihar border in the Meghatari area of Koderma valley. The area has witnessed several cases of kidnapping as well as Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) activities due to its strategic location, Koderma deputy commissioner Sabhapati Prasad Kushwaha told The Telegraph.
The second checkpoint will come up on the at Gujhandi railway station between Koderma and Gaya. “The railway tracks are vulnerable to rebel attacks as they allow aid their movement. Extremists blew up the station master’s office and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) post at the station recently,” said a police official.
The third one will come up on the Koderma-Giridih road near Baryardih police picket under Markachcho police station. Suspected MCC extremists blew up a patrol vehicle near Baryardih forest stretch last week, which left six policemen injured. The fourth checkpoint will be set up at Parsabad railway station between the Koderma and Hazaribagh Road stations. It falls under Jainagar police station and block development officer Prabhat Kumar Bardiyar has recently reported the movement of hundreds of MCC extremists in the area.
The fifth one will operate near the Tilaiya dam outpost and the sixth checkpoint will come up in the Jawahar Ghati area between Koderma and Barhi in Hazaribagh.
“Koderma shares its northern border with Nawada district and its western border with Gaya, both in Bihar. Both the neighbouring districts have witnessed frequent rebel attacks in the recent past. So, a close surveillance is necessary to avoid any untoward incident during the poll,” said Kushwaha. Koderma has 341 polling booths, of which only 123 are “normal”. “33 booths are highly sensitive while the district administration has categorised 159 booths as sensitive ones,” he added.
Babulal Marandi’s cavalcade was attacked last year by suspected MCC guerrillas in the Gawan police station area of Giridih. The area comes under the Koderma parliamentary constituency and is a stronghold of MCC. Reports have suggested that Marandi is on the extremists’ hitlist.
Koderma will be divided in to nine police zones for the election. The district has demanded six companies of central paramilitary forces in addition to the district police and Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) jawans.
