Residents of Mahuadarn in latehar district were in for surprise when a chopper from Ranchi landed there only to fly with polling parties for two most interior and cut off areas like Kotam and Orsa said sources. Voting is due on December 12.
The chopper made an hour wait at Mahuadarn for taking down the polling parties. Kotam and Orsa are very close to Chhattisgarh. Sources said the areas are most frequented by the Maoists of Chhattisgarh too.
Sources said the latehar district police have stepped up its vigil across the border with Chhattisgarh. The police officials of Chhattisgarh too have been asked to keep up the vigil. As the area is most porous sneaking in and sneaking out of the extremists are too easy.
A Palamu tiger reserve official said Kotam and Orsa are places where jumbos too come unexpected and hence outsiders like these polling personnel should remain confined to their places of duty only. DIG police Palamu Saket Kumar Singh said the chopper came from Ranchi and it landed in Mahuadarn from where it air lifted polling personnel at Kotam and Orsa.
DIG reiterated the security arrangements are adequate and forces are ready to take on any challenges there.
In the third phase Palamu too had air dropped 20 personnel for Chak in its district. A source close to the Maoist said ‘ Since many of our kin are in poll fray we understand what should be our stand. ‘ Thissource close to the Maoist said at Dumree in Manatu ‘ We have allowed polling parties to function as per law otherwise we know how to send them in gunny bags’.