Maoists put up black flags, blow up tower on R-Day

Ranchi: Black flags were put up by alleged CPI-Maoists cadres on Republic Day in at least four locations in Jharkhand on the last day of their resistance week to protest the arrest of politburo member Prashant Bose alias Kishanda.

Maoists alco put up black flags in three different locations in the Giridih district in the wee hours of Wednesday. Villagers noticed a black flag on a bamboo pole outside the Amra Panchayat Bhavan under the Dumri police station area of Giridih district.

Pamphlets were also put up near the main gate of the bhavan on behalf of the Maoists' Bihar-Jharkhand Special Area Committee which has demanded proper health facilities, political prisoner status and unconditional release of its party's top leaders Kishanda and his wife.

It also calls for support for the mass resistance movement against the government. Maoists also blew up a mobile (base transceiver station) tower at Kharki under Bishnugarh police station, around 25km from the Bishnugarh block headquarters in the wee hours of Wednesday.