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31 security personnel killed in 3rd round of polling

At least 41 people, including 31 security personnel, were killed and the Samajwadi Party candidate in Phulpur (UP) was among 30 injured in poll-related violence in Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and other states which went to the polls in the third phase of Lok Sabha elections today.

In Bihar, which bore the brunt of the violence, at least 33 people, including 29 security personnel and two polling officials, were killed and eleven injured in a series of mine blasts, set off by suspected Naxalite groups who had given a poll boycott call, and encounters, police said.

Dharam Raj Singh, the SP candidate in Phulpur (Reserved), was injured in a clash between his supporters and BJP workers in Haripur. Twelve others were injured in the incident, a report from Lucknow quoting the police said.

Seven people, including two Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel, were killed and four injured in Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency in Jammu and Kashmir, while a Congress supporter was stabbed to death and two injured in Andhra Pradesh which saw the maximum violence in the first phase on September 5.

In Bihar, seventeen security personnel were among 18 killed in landmine blasts in Naxalite-infested Palamau district while 14 people, including 11 policemen and two polling officials, died in blasts and encounters with extremists in Hazaribagh. One policeman was killed in Rohtas district, inspector general of police Rameshwar Oraon said. Ten CRPF jawans were among 11 people killed in landmine explosions at Chainpur and Ramgarh villages in Palamau district this morning. Eight jawans died on the spot while three others, including a civilian, died in hospital, Oraon said. He said five Bihar military police jawans were killed and three injured in a landmine blast at Banki in Palamau district.

In another blast in the district, two policemen were killed and one was injured. Seven constables were killed and two injured in an encounter between police and extremists of the Maoist Communist Centre at Jeetpur village under Hazaribagh Lok Sabha constituency. A landmine blast, which overturned a police vehicle, killed three constables in the same district.

In another blast at Balumath village in Palamau, two policemen were killed and one injured this morning, IGP (operations) M K Sinha said. A polling officer and his driver were killed when a landmine exploded at Vishnugarh in Hazaribagh district. Three policemen were injured in the blast. A policeman was killed and another injured in a blast at Chutia in Rohtas district while a polling official was injured at Hasanpur in Hazaribagh.

Five railway employees on poll duty were abducted by MCC extremists from Chichaki station between Gomoh and Hazaribagh midnight yesterday, official sources said. The extremists also planted explosives on tracks. Rail traffic was disrupted for several hours following the incident.

UNI

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