However, in some of the areas of Maoist dominance or presence, initial reports indicate that there was a high turnout of voters, thus suggesting a defiance of the Maoists’ diktat. For instance, at Imamganj, the ‘secretary’ of a Maoist sub-zonal committee had issued a statement asking people not to vote. In defiance, a large number of voters in the Latua, Kharar and Kothilwa villages, under Imamganj Assembly constituency, which is on the Bihar-Jharkhand border, are reported to have exercised their franchise. During the February 2005 elections, even SF personnel feared to reach these villages, dotting the ‘red belt’ of Gaya district. However, such defiance could prove costly, since the Maoists will, as in the past, retaliate, and this could mean anything from tonsure, lashes, chopping off nose and ears, or in extreme cases, even death.