Hindustan Times (Ranchi)

PLFI MEN GUN DOWN 3 AT MEET, POLICE LAUNCH COMBING OP

- Sanjay Sahay sanjay.sahay@hindustant­imes.com

RANCHI: Senior police officers rushed to Raitodang village in Khunti district on Tuesday, a day after members of the outlawed People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) fired indiscrimi­nately at people gathered for a village-level meeting, killing three and injuring four.

While monetary compensati­on of `1 lakh was given to the families of each victim, further aid will be granted after verificati­on.

Villagers said they were holding a gram sabha on Monday to discuss post-harvesting strategies and cattle-grazing methods when over two dozen armed PLFI members arrived at the spot. Alleging that the meeting was a shanti sabha (peace meeting) aimed at countering them, the extremists began firing indiscrimi­nately, forcing the villagers to run. Over half-a-dozen villagers suffered bullet injuries.

After the PLFI members left, villagers rushed the injured to the Khunti Sadar hospital. While three persons — Deep Munda (45), Raukan Purti (62) and Sukhram Munda (50) — were declared dead on arrival, the others were referred to RIMS in Ranchi.

The PLFI is the second-largest left wing extremist group in Jharkhand, after the CPI(Maoist). It is present in 12 of the state’s 24 districts.

Vikram Purti, who was shot in the hand, said 60 to 70 villagers were present at the gram sabha. “They started firing at us, saying we were holding shanti sabhas. People could be seen running helter-skelter, trying to avoid being hit. They mostly shot at old people, who were unable to run,” he added.

His son, Mangra, said vehicle owners in the area were reluctant to take the injured to the district hospital fearing retaliatio­n from the PLFI. “We had to beg them for help,” he said.

Special secretary (home) BB Pradhan, additional DGP Anurag Gupta and IG (operations) MS Bhatia visited the village on Tuesday. “Initial reports say the extremists fired at the villagers randomly. We need to find out why and how it happened,” said Pradhan.

Bhatia said a police contingent led by Ranchi DIG RK Dhan has launched a combing operation in Khunti’s Arki forest to nab the extremists. Villagers in three tribal-dominated districts of Jharkhand — Ranchi, Khunti and West Singhbhum — have been holding shanti sabhas to discourage people from joining left-wing extremist groups.

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