PTI:
RANCHI: Jharkhand Chief Minister on Saturday termed the naxal attack at Chilkhadih, in which 17 people were killed including former Jharkhand chief minster's son, as a 'conspiracy' and said he had spoken to his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar seeking assistance for joint raids as the spot is near the inter-state borders.
"The sequence of happenings emit the smell of a conspiracy. But it can be known only after a thorough probe. I have sent our Director General of Police (V D Ram) for a on-the-spot inspection," Koda said at his residence here without elaborating about conspiracy by whom.
Among those killed by the naxals was Anup, the son of former chief minister Babulal Marandi.
Koda iterated his resolution to root out extremism in Jharkhand and sought the help from the people.
Condemning the killing of innocent villagers, he said the naxals were frustrated following the recent arrests of its top leaders.
"The naxals are also frustrated as their two training camps - one at Latehar and another at Dalma were destroyed recently," he said.
Those people, including politicians, who face naxal threat should inform the nearest police station before going to any public function so that adequate number of policemen were deployed, Koda said.
Asked whether he saw any new strategy by naxals in attacking after football matches, which are popular among the people, Koda repeated his take on conspiracy.
Koda said he had spoken to Marandi whose son and brother, who escaped the attack, had gone to the cultural programme organised after a football match held on Friday afternoon.
The chief minister would visit the spot during the day.
Marandi's son and 16 others killed by naxals
IANS
The incident took place in Chilkhari
According to the police, around 30 to 40 rebels of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) dressed in Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) uniforms attacked Chilkhari at around
Mahesh Ganju, a villager, said: "We thought that the they (Maoist rebels) were CRPF personnel and had come to provide security to us. Gradually they surrounded us and we thought it was security cover but then they started firing on us."
Babulal Marandi was also expected to attend the programme but wasn't able to do so. However, his younger son Anup attended the event and was killed along with 16 others when Maoist guerrillas fired indiscriminately at the gathering.
Arun Kumar Singh, the superintendent of police of Giridih district, said: "Seventeen people were killed while four others, including two women, were injured in the Maoist attack."
Babulal Marandi said: "My family has been the target of Maoist rebels for a long time as we have been fighting against them and organising villagers to rebel against them."
Chief Minister Madhu Koda has announced compensation for the kin of those killed.
Koda said: "The families of those killed will be given Rs.100,000 and one member of each family will be given a job.
"This is an act of cowardice by the Maoists and we will vigorously fight their nefarious activities," the chief minister added.
Chilkhari lies near the Jharkhand-Bihar border. Police forces of both states have started a joint search for the Maoist rebels involved in the attack.
This has been the biggest civilian killing in the state since it was carved out from
Maoist rebels are active in 18 of the 24 districts in the state. Nearly 950 people, including 310 security personnel, have been killed in Jharkhand in Maoist related violence.
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