Brazenly mocking the ongoing Operation Anaconda 2, a combing mission of the Jharkhand Police and the Central Reserve Police Force in Saranda, Maoists torched at least 14 earthmovers in Derwan, within 20 kilometres of Manoharpur block in Saranda, on the night of December 17. The earthmovers, including ten dumpers, rollers and JCBs, belonged to a private construction firm, Triveni Constructions, and were involved in the laying of a new railway line in Saranda.

The rebels had also partially burned seven trucks parked at the work site.

The incident, the second in a little over three weeks (read: Maoists blaze back into Saranda), happened late in the night. About 35 armed left ultras arrived at the workers’ camp and threatened them into switching off their mobile phones and other communications before lighting up the machinery.

Inspector general (operations) of the state police, SN Pradhan, told Governance Now that the police are investigating the incident considering all possible and has posted additional forces along the railway line being constructed to secure ongoing work.

“The work has been on for over a year now and there have been no incidents targeting the railway line specifically,” Pradhan said.

However, the police are investigating for complicity between the contractor and Maoists as they had been informed that the contractor had opposed the Railways’ move to use IEDs (improvised explosives devices) in the construction of a tunnel along the line. “We have information that the contractor had vehemently opposed the plan saying that many locals were employed in the work and that the proposed tunnel could instead be dug out by using the labour and earthmovers.

His persistent opposition is an angle we are investigating,” the inspector-general said when asked to comment on the progress of the investigation.

(Sarthak Ray who spent four months in Saranda is not stationed there anymore but keeps track of developments in the region.)