(Representational image) Paramilitary forces take cover during a gunfight with Maoists in Lalgarh.
(Representational image) Paramilitary forces take cover during a gunfight with Maoists in Lalgarh.Reuters

In another attack this week, Naxals fired at a police camp in Bihar's Jamui district on Friday, killing one Special Task Force (STF) jawan and injuring two others.

According to reports, Naxals in the area also blew up a police camp that was under construction.

"The Naxals left the guards. There was an exchange of fire between the Naxals and police. A combing operation has been launched in the entire region and a hunt for the Naxals is on," Jamui SP Jitender Rana told PTI.

Reacting to the news, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussein tweeted, "Naxals are becoming bolder by the day in Bihar. Fight against naxals must be taken on priority basis. Bihar govt must act tough."

Friday's attack comes two days after Maoists opened fire at a patrol party in Amarut village of Gaya district. Two jawans of the Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) force were killed in the attack.

The Maoists, belonging to the Communist Party of Maoist, are considered to be India's greatest internal security threat. They have recently intensified their operations in several states, including Bihar.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has a separate Naxal Management Division (NMD) to counter such left-wing extremism (LWE) in the country. In 2013 alone, India experienced more than 390 violent attacks by such LWE groups. Last year, there were 166 such violent incidents in Bihar, and the number is likely to go up this year.

On 2 August, Maoists blew up a railway track, 25 km from Gaya district. It was later revealed that the attack was actually targeted at the Howrah-Delhi Rajdhani Express.

In June, over 100 armed Maoists, including some women, attacked an Intercity passenger train passing through Jamui station in the naxal-hit district, killing three people and injuring seven others.

The Naxals are believed to have changed their abduction policy recently to mount greater pressure over state governments. The terror outfit said they will kill hostages soon after they are abducted, without giving any prior warning to state authorities.