Maoist mine blast kills 5 cops

“As the bus carrying 12 jawans was on the highway at 4.30 pm,Maoists who were perched on top of a hill nearby triggered the landmine. The bus went up in the air. The casualties happened mainly because of head injuries,” DIG Govindji Mishra said.

STF was deployed in Latehar where Abhijeet Group of Industry is setting up a 1,649 MW power plant. Last year,four security guards of this company were shot dead by the Maoists.

Earlier Friday,two Maoists of Jharkhand Sangharsh Janmukti Morcha,a breakaway group of the CPI(ML),were reportedly beaten to death by tribals at Jalim village in Latehar. Later,these tribals held a demonstration outside the office of Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Dwivedi. “We have assured the villagers that the police will provide security to them,” said Dwivedi.