Maoists blow up two schools in Jharkhand India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Maoists blew up two middle schools in Jharkhand's Giridih district on Tuesday. According to police officials, Maoists packed explosives inside Upgraded Haridih School and Upgraded Dharpahari School, damaging the structures. However, there was no report of causalities. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described Maoists as the biggest internal security challenge since independence, which began four decades ago championing the cause of poor peasants in the east, but has now spread to about 20 of India's 29 states. Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the government was willing to talk to the Maoists about issues such as poverty and corruption that are often blamed for stoking the insurgency, but insisted the rebels must first stop violence.