Maoists kidnap 10 Jharkhand children

Rebels had asked villagers to spare one child from each house to boost movement

Rampaging Maoists kidnapped 10 children at gunpoint in Jharkhand on Thursday night apparently to recruit them into the organisation and boost the Left movement, which faces severe challenges following an intensified police operation against them.

Reports quoting local villagers said an armed squad of Maoists reached the Buddha Pahad locality in Jharkhand’s Garhwa district on late Thursday night and picked up 10 children at gunpoint. This followed soon after the rebels had asked the villagers to spare one child from each house to strengthen the organisation.

Maoist stronghold

Budha Pahad areas that fall under Bhandaria police station in the district are considered to be the stronghold of the Maoists. “A large number of Maoists raided our village in the dead of night, picked up 10 children [one from each house] and fled the scene. They said they wanted to recruit them in the organisation. We never dared to challenge their might,” the local villagers were quoted as telling the local media yesterday. Police said they are verifying claims of the villagers.

The incident comes amid the security forces conducting a massive combing operation in the areas to “free” the Budha Pahad from the clutches of the rebels by the year end. Currently, more than 2,000 security forces are conducting an intensive operation in the areas to nab the rebels.

Ironically, only on Thursday the senior security adviser in the federal home ministry, K. Vijay Kumar, held a review meeting with top police officials in Jharkhand and discussed strategies to tackle the Maoist movement in the region. The security adviser also visited the troubled Budha Pahad region of the areas in the company of officials and boosted the morale of the security forces in a meeting that lasted for some two hours.

Besides Budha Phad, the security forces are also launching an operation to dive out rebels from Parasnath hills in Giridih district.

The incident comes amid the security forces conducting a massive combing operation in the areas to “free” Budha Pahad from the rebels.