Patna: Security forces in Bihar have launched a massive combing operation in the areas a day after the Maoists blew up as many 26 government flats as a mark of defiance to the armed forces. The flats which belonged to irrigation department had only recently been renovated by the state government at a cost of Rs5.3 million (Dh356,872) to house the 285 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), a specialised unit of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) created to counter the Maoist problem in India.

Police said around 1,000 Maoists raided village Mishra Bigha located in Deo block of southern Bihar’s Aurangabad district in the wee hours of Thursday and blew up the renovated government quarters by planting dynamites and can bombs. Their operation lasted for some seven hours during which all the buildings targeted by rebels razed to the ground as debris lay scattered all around.

Witnesses said the deafening sound of the blasts was heard as far as 5 km away as the local police did not dare to rush to the spot. In all, some 25 blasts were triggered by the rebels whereas one can bomb failed to detonate but the damage was extensive, police said. The damaged buildings initially meant for housing the irrigation department staffs had been constructed in 1977 but very recently they were given a facelift to station the CoBRA forces so as to launch operation against the rebels who had let loose a reign of terror in the areas.

Aurangabad, which shares border with Jharkhand, is one of 38 districts of Bihar infamous for Maoist activities, and also the first major massacre involving killing of 54 upper caste Rajput villagers (at Dalechak-Baghaura villages) reported from this district in 1984.

“We have launched an intensive combing operation in the hilly areas of the district bordering Jharkhand state to nab the absconding rebels,” the local district superintendent of police Daljeet Singh said from Aurangabad town, some 170 km south of Patna. According to him, the police have got vital clues about the rebels’ whereabouts from the local villagers and were acting on the information provided by them.

Another incident of Maoist attack has been reported from eastern Bihar’s Jamui district where the rebels badly damaged two government buildings by using JCB machines. Police said their operation lasted for about 30 minutes.

Police say the rebels have gone on blasting spree in Bihar as they apprehend the government buildings in far-off areas could be used as bases of security forces to launch operation against them.

As per a police report, the angry rebels have blown up more than 50 government buildings, offices and schools and 56 mobile phone towers in Bihar in the past four years, indicating the severity of the situation, let aside private houses of villagers.

According a report compiled by the police department, Maoists blew up 13 government schools, two government buildings, five houses, railway tracks at five places, apart from torching 22 JCB machines and 19 mobile phone towers in the state in 2011 while in the year 2010, they blasted 12 government buildings, eight mobile phone towers and three JCB machines engaged in road construction works.

Similarly in 2009, the rebels blew up 24 government buildings, railway tracks at seven places, 17 mobile towers, and also set afire 29 JCB machines of private road construction firms while in 2008, the rebels destroyed three government buildings, 12 mobile towers and five JCB machines.