The bus which was blown away in the landmine blast yesterday
Less than 24 hours after a lethal Maoist strike claimed the lives of three polling officials and five policemen in Jharkhand's Dumka district on Thursday evening, questions are being asked whether the state administration had lowered its guard.
The polling officials and Jharkhand police jawans were part of a team that was returning to the district headquarters after conducting elections in the Shikaripara assembly segment. The bus hit a landmine that had been planted by the Maoists, and was blown apart.
The normal practice, according to experts, is to desist from using buses for travelling in Maoist-infested areas. Why was the polling party was not returning on foot, as is the norm in such areas? Why were helicopters not pressed into service to pick up and drop poll officials?
Relatives of those killed in the attack have accused the state government of being insensitive. The family of Ghanshyam Shah, a State Bank of India official who lost his life in the ambush yesterday, said that mere gun salutes wasn't enough. Shah, part of the polling team, is survived by his wife and two young children.
Manju Devi, a relative, lamented, "The Chief Minister and DGP came here. They did not even bother speaking to us. When this was a sensitive area, why did the administration not put all the checks in place?"
Suresh, a constable injured in the attack, recounted the horror. "There was an escort party in front. We were in the vehicle behind and the blast suddenly happened. I fell unconscious. When I came to my senses, all windows, etc lay shattered," he said.
Jharkhand Director General of Police, or the DGP, Rajiv Kumar
admitted lapses on the part of the administration. "We were well prepared for the first phase, but it seems in the third phase, we made mistakes. The use of buses on a sensitive route like this one was wrong," he said.