Amidst the electoral landscape of Saranda in Jharkhand, a concerted effort to obstruct the electoral process unfolds as Naxalites strategically position fallen timber to impede access to polling stations, coupled with the dissemination of pamphlets urging abstention from voting.
This episode transpired along the primary thoroughfare linking Saranda forest to Hatnaburu-Marangponga of Digha Panchayat. Consequently, vehicular movement grinds to a halt, instilling a sense of trepidation among the local populace.
The obstructive timber barricades, ingeniously placed, render the road impassable, with perilous chasms or water bodies flanking its periphery. Such is the extent of the blockade that even motorbikes are rendered immobile, leaving villagers bereft of transportation options.
Residing in Marangponga, Dikuponga, Usruiya, Holongoli, Baliba, Kumdih, Kudliabad, and Kolayburu, Saranda’s denizens converge at polling stations in Sonapi. However, access to these voting precincts is thwarted by Naxalite intervention, which has effectively bisected the main thoroughfare at two junctures.
As recounted by a local, traversing this section remains an insurmountable task until the timber barricades are dismantled and the route is cleared. Neither motorcycles nor four-wheelers can navigate this impasse, thus impeding electoral participation.