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This time the announcement of the Bihar Assembly
Election was rather sudden. The BJP govt. was in a hurry to hold it before the
Budget, to minimise its impact over the elections. As such, very few mass
programmes could be taken.
Torch light processions hailing election bycott and
protracted people’s war were observed in several villages of Manika and Barwadih
block of Plamau district. From every village 20 to 30 people participated. In
Dauki almost 100 people participated. Wall-writing, protesting against the
imposition of elections and hailing protracted people’s war, was done in
hundreds of villages in Chainpur, Mahuadand and Garua blocks of Palamau
district; Ranka, Dhumri and Meral blocks of Garhwa district; Kiskio and Senka
blocks of Gumla district; Parshrampur block of Gumla district; Netrahatta block
of Rohtas District, Chainpur, Chand and Adhoura blocks of Bhabhura district.
At Satbahini, of the Bishrampur constituency, a
propaganda jeep of the Congress party was torched and the faces of the members
of its propaganda team were blackened. In the same constituency the faces of the
members of a propaganda team of the Samta Party were blackened and their heads
were shaved. In Mazhiyawan block of Bishampur constituency, a propaganda jeep of
an independent candidate and traitor of the peasant movement, Matar Singh, was
torched. At village Chunhatta of Nauhattan P.S. (Rohtas) members of the
Rashtravadi Congress party were asked to blacken their faces. At that very time
the CO (Circle Officer) of this block was passing through. His jeep was also
torched and he was asked to go on foot.
In a village in the Dwarpur hills of Japla, on Feb.
6, an encounter took place between the squads of PW and the Police. After the
encounter, the police entered the village and looted all the property of a
labourer. Two days later another encounter took place between a PW squad and the
police at village Singra. In this encounter, the police killed two innocent
persons including an 8-year old girl.
In hundereds of villaes of Palamau Garwah,
Lohardagga, Gumla and Rohtas districts, the election boycott was massive. Dozens
of booths returned the ballot boxes empty, where no single vote was cast. Police
forces and polling officers, fearing re-election resorted to bogus polling in
some villages. In hundreds of booths, the polling percentage was less than 5%.
At many booths of Barwadih block (Palamau) even ballot boxes did not reach as
the police forces did not enter the area, fearing ambush. The boycott call was
particularly effective in Barwadih, Manika, Latehar, Garu, Panki, Chainpur and
Husainabad blocks of Palamau district.
At Chunhalla of Nauhatta block (Rohtas) a
sub-inspector died in a landmine blast and three others were injured. Two of
them died in the hospital. During this action a fierce encounter also took place
between the squads of PW and the police, which continued for half an hour. On
Feb-11 at Karkatgarh village of Chainpur P.S. (Bhabhua dist.) in a landmine
blast 8 members of a polling party died including one ASI, five CRPF Jawans, one
polling officer (who was a Junior Engineer), and the driver. All of them were
going in a jeep. Another jeep was behind the jeep. In rapid firing one more
policeman of the van was killed. The rest of the policemen in the van fled. In
this incident 5 SLRs including 12 magazines and two hand grenades were seized.
Apart from these two major incidents, four attempts
of ambush were made in Koel-Kaimur region but could not succeed.
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