Madhuban, Feb. 28: In a major strike at the under-construction Jharkhand Bhavan here last night, Maoists destroyed the interior of the building apparently to send a message of terror for Holi pilgrims.
Madhuban is famous for its three-day Holi Mahotsav, starting tomorrow, which is attended by thousands of pilgrims from across the country.
According to Ghanshyam Munda, the guard at the building, an ambitious project of India Tourism Development Corporation and the state tourism department, a group of around 40 Naxalites raided the site around midnight.
“Wearing bottle-green uniform, the rifle-toting rebels told me that they had nothing to do with me and tied me up,” he said, adding: “I could only hear the deafening sound of the two blasts.”
Before leaving the site, the extremists spent around an hour there destroying several building materials, besides those already damaged by the twin blasts. Marble slabs, tiles, glass windows and at least 10 air-conditioning machines bore the brunt of the Maoists’ ire. The work on the three-storeyed 15-room building started around three years ago with an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore and it was supposed to be inaugurated next month.
The project was also hit by three-month agitation by the Majdoor Sangathan Samiti — the association of local labourers — demanding the induction for the son of one Banarsi Das, who died while working at Bhomia Bhavan. However, the timely intervention of the district administration settled the matter before the labourers were to go for a three-day strike during the Holi Mahotsav.
However, the raid had bigger impact on pilgrims. “When we got down at Parasnath this morning, we heard about the incident. The news was shocking, as Maoists did not attack this place of worship earlier,” said Nishan Jain, a pilgrim from Ahmedabad.
Police superintendent Arun Kumar Singh said there was a problem over paying levy by the contractor. The contractor paid to one group of Maoists and so the other faction struck, he added. The caretaker of AP Bariar & Sons, the contractor, however, said “there was no such dispute”.
Madhuban is famous for its three-day Holi Mahotsav, starting tomorrow, which is attended by thousands of pilgrims from across the country.
According to Ghanshyam Munda, the guard at the building, an ambitious project of India Tourism Development Corporation and the state tourism department, a group of around 40 Naxalites raided the site around midnight.
“Wearing bottle-green uniform, the rifle-toting rebels told me that they had nothing to do with me and tied me up,” he said, adding: “I could only hear the deafening sound of the two blasts.”
Before leaving the site, the extremists spent around an hour there destroying several building materials, besides those already damaged by the twin blasts. Marble slabs, tiles, glass windows and at least 10 air-conditioning machines bore the brunt of the Maoists’ ire. The work on the three-storeyed 15-room building started around three years ago with an estimated cost of Rs 1 crore and it was supposed to be inaugurated next month.
The project was also hit by three-month agitation by the Majdoor Sangathan Samiti — the association of local labourers — demanding the induction for the son of one Banarsi Das, who died while working at Bhomia Bhavan. However, the timely intervention of the district administration settled the matter before the labourers were to go for a three-day strike during the Holi Mahotsav.
However, the raid had bigger impact on pilgrims. “When we got down at Parasnath this morning, we heard about the incident. The news was shocking, as Maoists did not attack this place of worship earlier,” said Nishan Jain, a pilgrim from Ahmedabad.
Police superintendent Arun Kumar Singh said there was a problem over paying levy by the contractor. The contractor paid to one group of Maoists and so the other faction struck, he added. The caretaker of AP Bariar & Sons, the contractor, however, said “there was no such dispute”.
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