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Rediff.com  » News » Patna HC will hear a PIL in Jehanabad case

Patna HC will hear a PIL in Jehanabad case

By Anand Mohan Sahay in Patna
November 17, 2005 16:30 IST
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The Patna High Court, terming the daring Maoist attack on Jehanabad town as an unfortunate incident, will hear a public interest litigation filed in this connection on Thursday.

Earlier, the court had sent a two-member probe team for an on-the-spot inquiry of the entire episode.

Sources in the court said the team, constituted by Chief Justice J N Bhatt and comprising a senior High Court officer and chairman of Bihar Bar Council Rajendra Singh, was sent to Jehanabad on Wednesday and has been directed to submit a report on Thursday.

About 1,000 Maoists armed with a wide variety of weapons swooped on Jehanabad town and attacked five government landmarks, including the police lines and the jail, on Sunday night.

In the violence that lasted around three hours, a total of 389 prisoners either fled or were freed by the Maoists. These included some activists of the Ranvir Sena militia, who were dragged away by the Maoists. The Ranvir Sena is an upper caste group that has been waging a war against Maoists for decades.

The court is scheduled to hear a PIL filed by Peoples Watch (Jan Chowkidar) on Thursday afternoon and the probe team's progress would also be discussed, the sources said.

The PIL said that policing in the state had suffered a toal collapse and it was unfortunate that state administration, despite having prior intelligence information about the movement of the Maoists, took no action to thwart their attack.

More news: Bihar

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Anand Mohan Sahay in Patna