According to a senior police official of Lalgarh police station, a group of 12 armed Maoists stormed into the Bhaodi beat office, ordered the staff and people present there to come out, planted a mine and triggered the blast.

“A witness told us that the Maoists asked them about the four empty quarters in the premises. They thought the vacant quarters are used by CRPF personnel. So they ordered the staff and their families to come out of the building, planted a mine and triggered the blast. The investigation suggests they planted two mines in the area,” added the official.

The blast has demolished the office and quarter of the officer-in-charge and blew up one of the four vacant quarters. Incidentally, the security forces’ camp in Dharampur is only km from the forest office. However, nobody turned up at the spot at the time of the blast. Manoj Verma, SP, West Midnapore, said, “We have sent our forces to the spot. The forest office has been damaged completely. The Maoists have again started triggering blasts in the area frequently to frighten the villagers.”

In a separate incident, the Maoists blew up a wooden bridge at Nimainagar in Nayagram police station area after the security forces carried out a massive search in the area in the last couple of days.

PCAPA man held