Three policemen posted at the residence of a local MP in Anigara, Jharkhand were abducted on Tuesday.
The missing policemen were guarding the residence of Bharatiya Janata Party MP Karia Munda when the incident occurred. Police have conducted an initial investigation and suspect the supporters of the 'Pathalgarhi' movement.
Pathalgarhi is a movement to declare certain geographical areas as self-governed by erecting stone tablets. It has been gradually gaining prominence in the Naxal-heavy area.
On Tuesday, police clashed with Naxal protestors at a Pathalgarhi in the area, which resulted in the death of six cops and injuries to over four hundred policemen.
On receiving the information of 'Pathalgarhi' at Anigara, Khunti Superintendent of Police Ashwani Sinha reached the spot with a massive police force to stop the movement.
An ambush was laid by the Naxalites yesterday, in which 6 police of jaguar force were killed and 400 injured. Related search operations are going on by the police," said Sinha.
Although the cops tried to convince the villagers in a peaceful manner to return to their own villages and cancel this program, hundreds of them surrounded the police personnel and surrounded them on all four sides. This led to a lathi-charge by the police, after which several villagers and policeman sustained injuries.
The police have begun searching for the missing men, but so far, there is no word on where they are.
The crackdown on Naxals in India has been a long fight, with previous governments resorting to more violent means. Under the Modi government, the Centre has attempted to improve infrastructure by constructing roads, schools and airports in Naxal-heavy areas so as to limit their isolation.
The Centre has also resorted to police and military action in several affected areas. One example would be the encounter in the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border earlier this year that killed twelve Maoists.
[With inputs from ANI]
