Maoists destroy under construction bridge in Jharkhand

Maoists destroyed yesterday an under construction bridge in Jharkhand's Ghatiyari area with the aim to stall development in the state and cause inconvenience to the residents .

"They tied up the people here and told them to sit still and not do anything, after that they went and set fire to the tractor and they also set fire to a motorcycle there. While leaving they placed a explosive device near the shed due to which the shed collapsed," said Superintendent of police (SP), Jamtara, Nagendar Choudhary.

According to the residents, 20 armed men, dressed in uniform came at midnight and tied up all the workers and asked them to sit quietly.

The perpetrators later set ablaze earthmovers and tractor in the area.

The government has invested a total sum of rupees 7 crores seven lakhs on the bridge being built over Barakar river.

The Maoists have disrupted the construction of the 293-meter bridge earlier as well.

The rebels beat the workers before torching the motorcycle and an earthmover.

According to officials, despite this setback, the ambitious project of building the bridge will continue.

Maoists have significantly increased their presence in isolated tribal and interior rural regions in the states of Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha as well as certain parts of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.