Coal mining and transportation activity at Tandwa in Chatra district was affected on Monday after the banned rebel outfit Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC) posted posters and banners at different mining areas.

This is said to be handiwork of North-South Chhotanagpur zonal committee of TSPC that has threatened mining and transportation companies to stop mining activities till December 16.

TSPC claimed that the bandh has been called against Central Coalfields Limited cheating families, who got displaced for Amrapali coal project.

Local residents and district police noticed posters and banners early in the morning. There was no transportation of coal at different coal sidings like Ashoka-RCM, Ashoka-KDH, Ashoka-Rajghar and CHP-Bachra. At Ashoka mining project the outsourced companies stopped mining activities. Rebels also placed banners at Kumrang Kala village and Shivpur railway siding.

Getting information about rebels may create large violence Chatra SP Rishav Kumar Jha deployed police in the mining area and intensive patrolling was done.

A police team led by Tandwa SDPO Vikas Pandey arrested a suspected TSPC supporter under Piparwar police station while he was putting posters and banners. He was whisked away to an unknown location for questioning.

What has left TSPC desperate is the fact that TSPC once directly or indirectly controlled mining activities in Magadh-Amarapali coal project. It happened to be the financial backbone of the outfit. But in the last few TSPC got weakened due to continuous anti-naxal operations. TSPC suffered further jolt after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) took-up investigation of several cases related to top TSPC operatives who were arrested and their property seized. Interestingly, in the posters TSPC has alleged NIA for implicating innocent people.