960428

Indian polls

Death toll

mounts

to over 30

NEW DELHI: With polling dates for 54 Parliamentary seats in Bihar, second largest populated state of India, drawing near extremists have stepped up violence claiming 33 lives and injuring 50 others todate.

In the biggest poll-eve strike, six supporters of the CPI-ML were gunned down by armed activists of the Ranvir Sena (a private army of landlords) in the extremist-infested Bhojpur district on April 22.

The Sena activists showered a hail of bullets on a marriage party at Nonour village killing six CPI-ML activists and injuring 13 others.

In a spurt of violence, a Bihar minister and Janata Dal aspirant for Munger district parliamentary constituency, Mr Upendra Verma, suffered head injuries in heavy stones throwing on April 24. Ten Dal activists were also injured in the incident. Another Janata Dal leader, mr. Mahendra Mandal, was shot dead by activists of a rival political party.

Two children died on the spot when a bomb exploded in a house in Jehangirpur yesterday. Report said the explosives were being prepared to create disturbances during the upcoming polls.-APP