SP removed over Maoist attack, BJP slams Bihar govt

The state government today removed the Aurangabad district police superintendent after the Maoist attack in Pathara which claimed seven lives, even as BJP assailed the Nitish Kumar-government for its "soft" attitude towards the ultras.

Aurangabad SP Daljeet Singh has been transferred and replaced by Darbhanga SP Upendra Kumar Sharma, a state home department notification said.

Singh has been directed to report for duty at the police headquarters here, it said.

The state government also announced a compensation of Rs five lakh to families of the victims, Additional Director General of Police (ADG) Headquarters, Ravindra Kumar said.

Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi condemned the attack and said it was a barbaric act to target innocent people.

"Due to the state government's soft attitude, Maoists have made Bihar a soft target," he said, asking the government to act tough against the ultras to prevent such incidents in future, before leaving for Aurangabad with other party leaders to console families of the victims.

BJP leaders Giriraj Singh and Ramadhar Singh have also taken the state government to task for its failure in preventing Maoist attacks despite intelligence input from various agencies and alleged that the law and order situation has broken down in Bihar due to apathetic attitude of the Nitish Kumar government.

The Maoists had detonated a landmine last night blowing up a SUV in Pathara village under Khudwa police station area, killing all its seven occupants, including a Zilla Parishad member's husband.