Iamanidiot
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without development how much you eleminate an insurgency it will prop up again
Naxals/Maoists Watch
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Oracle
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Not valid. Terrorism in NE can also be contained through infrastructure development. And GoI has woken up now.
Andhra did it??? Are there no Naxals in Andhra?
Iamanidiot
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bangla leakage and the horrible drug culture is stalling it in NE.Drug cartels are a major headache.Andhra had naxals now they are altogether wiped out
Oracle
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When was Afghanis and Pakistanis fighting in North East? It's NE not J&K. They are all Indians. I agree with the rest of your post.
Oracle
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I don't know where you get these information from. Illegal Bangladeshis are a problem, OK, but where the hell did the horrible drug culture come from?
Do people in other states of India do not do drugs? Come on!
Oracle
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With insurgency in place, how do you do development. There was crores sanctioned for a Guwahati to Silchar broad guage line. It's been like 10 years or more, nothing is being done. These terrorist kidnap contractors and ask for extortions, even killed many. How to go ahead with development? L&T people are afraid of going into Assam for development work.
The solution is eliminate terrorists first, then think about development.
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Please, please, please, let's cut the crap with the "naxals are Indians too" argument. Criminals who are tried in our courts are Indians too. Murderers, rapists, land-mafia ... they're Indian too. Yet they're all criminals. Any outlaw is an outlaw, Indian or not. So use all the resources at hand, and get rid of this problem already. These outlaws kill and extort money from helpless villagers, which is a far worse thing than government not doing much to develop those regions.
nrj
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"Indian Natives" is the GOI & stupid humanitarian organizations argument.
You see right now, Naxals are officially individual states issue, centre & para are just assisting them.
If GOI decides for IA then whatever happens, even single death; every state will put hands in air & say its Central Gov job not us. We are not responsible but the Central Government.
However, right now central Gov can easily blame states for not doing enough & not following guidelines given by GOI.
Its a bold & risky step for GOI to take the job, completely on its own. That is why GOI is reluctant.
Its going to take appreciable time before political mess & counter blaming unite on one side to take some serious steps. After which we can expect results in further 2-3 years.
You see right now, Naxals are officially individual states issue, centre & para are just assisting them.
If GOI decides for IA then whatever happens, even single death; every state will put hands in air & say its Central Gov job not us. We are not responsible but the Central Government.
However, right now central Gov can easily blame states for not doing enough & not following guidelines given by GOI.
Its a bold & risky step for GOI to take the job, completely on its own. That is why GOI is reluctant.
Its going to take appreciable time before political mess & counter blaming unite on one side to take some serious steps. After which we can expect results in further 2-3 years.
AkhandBharat
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Will give Home Minister power he needs: Pranab
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said the government was ready to "empower" the Home Ministry to use air support for police action against Naxalites provided adequate safeguards were in place against any misuse of such powers.
Speaking at the Idea Exchange programme of The Indian Express, Mukherjee said the Cabinet fully backed the efforts of Home Minister P Chidambaram in fighting Naxalite groups and was mindful of the fact that the Home Ministry needed to be empowered with whatever was needed to win the battle.
"Power is required. Whatever the Home Minister feels necessary, he should be empowered with that," Mukherjee said.
"But if we want to establish an institutional arrangement to deal with it, then we will have to look at what will be the implications of it, what will be the further impact on it (the fight against Naxalites) and whether it can be properly used or if there is any scope for misuse," he said, responding to queries whether Chidambaram's request for a "larger mandate" for the Home Ministry would be acceded.
In an interview with NDTV 24x7 on Monday, Chidambaram said he had asked the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for a greater mandate in dealing with Naxals but he was granted only a limited mandate. By larger mandate, Chidambaram apparently meant the use of air surveillance which, he said, was being demanded by chief ministers of all affected states.
Mukherjee said as Home Minister, Chidambaram was best placed to make the correct assessment of the prevailing situation and the government fully agreed with his assessment.
"But we have seen that whenever we have empowered enforcement agencies with sweeping powers, there have been cases of misuse. So when we give them the authority that they require, we have to simultaneously ensure that there will be adequate safeguards to prevent any misuse," he said.
"All the aspects have to be viewed because we cannot take any action that will be described as some sort of knee-jerk reaction. I feel that the problems of insurgency and Naxalism are long-drawn out problems and they cannot be sorted out or solved through a mechanism that can be described as switch-on and switch-off... You have to address it in proper perspective. And it takes time," Mukherjee said.
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, in the meanwhile, said he was not in favour of use of air power in anti-Naxal operations, though the party itself made a very guarded response.
"This is for the security forces and the government to decide. It is not for a political party to decide," Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said.
Congress sources, however, said the party did not have any objection to the use of aircraft or helicopters for surveillance, supply or other logistical purposes.
The Congress also sought to distance itself from Digvijay Singh's remarks holding the Chhattisgarh government responsible for the second major attack in Dantewada in little over a month.
"Last time (when 75 CRPF personnel were killed) we did not criticise the Raman Singh government. This time also we are not pinpointing any blame. We want all stakeholders to be on the same page against the Naxals," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said the government was ready to "empower" the Home Ministry to use air support for police action against Naxalites provided adequate safeguards were in place against any misuse of such powers.
Speaking at the Idea Exchange programme of The Indian Express, Mukherjee said the Cabinet fully backed the efforts of Home Minister P Chidambaram in fighting Naxalite groups and was mindful of the fact that the Home Ministry needed to be empowered with whatever was needed to win the battle.
"Power is required. Whatever the Home Minister feels necessary, he should be empowered with that," Mukherjee said.
"But if we want to establish an institutional arrangement to deal with it, then we will have to look at what will be the implications of it, what will be the further impact on it (the fight against Naxalites) and whether it can be properly used or if there is any scope for misuse," he said, responding to queries whether Chidambaram's request for a "larger mandate" for the Home Ministry would be acceded.
In an interview with NDTV 24x7 on Monday, Chidambaram said he had asked the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) for a greater mandate in dealing with Naxals but he was granted only a limited mandate. By larger mandate, Chidambaram apparently meant the use of air surveillance which, he said, was being demanded by chief ministers of all affected states.
Mukherjee said as Home Minister, Chidambaram was best placed to make the correct assessment of the prevailing situation and the government fully agreed with his assessment.
"But we have seen that whenever we have empowered enforcement agencies with sweeping powers, there have been cases of misuse. So when we give them the authority that they require, we have to simultaneously ensure that there will be adequate safeguards to prevent any misuse," he said.
"All the aspects have to be viewed because we cannot take any action that will be described as some sort of knee-jerk reaction. I feel that the problems of insurgency and Naxalism are long-drawn out problems and they cannot be sorted out or solved through a mechanism that can be described as switch-on and switch-off... You have to address it in proper perspective. And it takes time," Mukherjee said.
Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, in the meanwhile, said he was not in favour of use of air power in anti-Naxal operations, though the party itself made a very guarded response.
"This is for the security forces and the government to decide. It is not for a political party to decide," Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed said.
Congress sources, however, said the party did not have any objection to the use of aircraft or helicopters for surveillance, supply or other logistical purposes.
The Congress also sought to distance itself from Digvijay Singh's remarks holding the Chhattisgarh government responsible for the second major attack in Dantewada in little over a month.
"Last time (when 75 CRPF personnel were killed) we did not criticise the Raman Singh government. This time also we are not pinpointing any blame. We want all stakeholders to be on the same page against the Naxals," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari told reporters.
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thakur_ritesh
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Question is not about should but one of will, better put as "Will the Indian government use armed forces against the naxals/maoists?" and the answer is a NO!
There is a huge political cost attached because the maoist infested area represents a huge one third of Indian districts which gives a huge number of seats both in the state assembly and to the LS/RS and if the army is to move in then the special armed forces act gets imposed which gives unprecedented powers to the army over the civil setup and I seriously doubt any government has the will to take such a huge risk, which will then be termed as butchering the democracy, which would further mean a political suicide something the opposition will not be far from cashing on be it the left, right or center, a perfect point in case is west bengal.
A politician will only go to the extent where his political fortunes are not damaged, once he sees that happen he backs out asap, and this is where it gets very-very important to understand that it took a chidambram, a MMS and a near two decades of which the just gone by decade saw the quickest growth in the coverage area to wake up to the challenge imposed by the maoist insurgency, and seriously had it not been for MMS and chidambram we wouldn't even have been talking about it, this is how mean a politician can be and is, barring a few.
Coupled with this what needs to be understood is that left leaning intellectuals who sympathize with the revolution to the extent they see it as a viable option for India have crowed the complete spectrum of electronic and print media, the national human rights commission and NGOs, which helps form the public opinion both with in and outside the country, and Indians have a inclinations to follow them the most for we have had a socialist past where we were mostly bread on left intellect the credit of which goes to congress, and the nehruvian ideology.
We make a distinction between insurgency being sponsored from outside as if the people carrying out the war against the republic of India in north east and J&K are not Indians or as if they are some lesser Indians. Maoists have been known to have maintained links with the LTTE in fact when the tigers were active then they were providing arms and ammunitions, and not to forget the LeT, and possible simi links, all of which represents clear outside support but then the left leaning media wont let it come to the fore otherwise they lose the plot.
I think what will eventually happen is that the armed struggle will go up further, there will come a tipping point if it has still not come which will eventually force the country to respond likewise which will lead to a huge blood bath, and when the chips are down for the maoists then they will come to negotiation table which will very keenly be accepted and as has happened in Nepal, the Maoists will at some point in time take to the poll process, this to me looks like the only viable solution, and in a way it will be good since with them in the fold our neglected area will start getting the attention that they deserve but have never got since the independence.
There is a huge political cost attached because the maoist infested area represents a huge one third of Indian districts which gives a huge number of seats both in the state assembly and to the LS/RS and if the army is to move in then the special armed forces act gets imposed which gives unprecedented powers to the army over the civil setup and I seriously doubt any government has the will to take such a huge risk, which will then be termed as butchering the democracy, which would further mean a political suicide something the opposition will not be far from cashing on be it the left, right or center, a perfect point in case is west bengal.
A politician will only go to the extent where his political fortunes are not damaged, once he sees that happen he backs out asap, and this is where it gets very-very important to understand that it took a chidambram, a MMS and a near two decades of which the just gone by decade saw the quickest growth in the coverage area to wake up to the challenge imposed by the maoist insurgency, and seriously had it not been for MMS and chidambram we wouldn't even have been talking about it, this is how mean a politician can be and is, barring a few.
Coupled with this what needs to be understood is that left leaning intellectuals who sympathize with the revolution to the extent they see it as a viable option for India have crowed the complete spectrum of electronic and print media, the national human rights commission and NGOs, which helps form the public opinion both with in and outside the country, and Indians have a inclinations to follow them the most for we have had a socialist past where we were mostly bread on left intellect the credit of which goes to congress, and the nehruvian ideology.
We make a distinction between insurgency being sponsored from outside as if the people carrying out the war against the republic of India in north east and J&K are not Indians or as if they are some lesser Indians. Maoists have been known to have maintained links with the LTTE in fact when the tigers were active then they were providing arms and ammunitions, and not to forget the LeT, and possible simi links, all of which represents clear outside support but then the left leaning media wont let it come to the fore otherwise they lose the plot.
I think what will eventually happen is that the armed struggle will go up further, there will come a tipping point if it has still not come which will eventually force the country to respond likewise which will lead to a huge blood bath, and when the chips are down for the maoists then they will come to negotiation table which will very keenly be accepted and as has happened in Nepal, the Maoists will at some point in time take to the poll process, this to me looks like the only viable solution, and in a way it will be good since with them in the fold our neglected area will start getting the attention that they deserve but have never got since the independence.
plugwater
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Only one question, These guys deserve to die or not ? Everyone wants to eliminate them because of the crime they are doing. Why give so much important how or by whom they should be eliminated? GoI should use the best possible way to eliminate them that means by Army. why drag this issue any longer.
SHASH2K2
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completly agree with you. I donot understand the policy that army should not be used against indian nationals. Things are really slipping out of hands and our super strong government is sleeping. we need to act fast and act now with all available resources . be it army, airforce or even navy . if this issue is not resolved quickly whole country future will be in jeopardy.Its not only 1-2 state that is affected . development is at halt in entire areas infected with them. it will eventually affect country GDP and growth as well.
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My reply wasnt directed at any single post, I just wanted to clear the Air if someone tries to bring in Kashmir.
pavanvenkatesh
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I don't think the naxal problem will be solved just by bringing the army, other wise why do you need the CPRF and COBRA personnel for, the army is already stretched as it is on the borders the main problem is a lack of proper co-ordination,planning,and execution of operations in these regions, these naxals are better adapted to the conditions of the affected areas they thrive on recruiting young boys and girls on the pretext of freedom against oppression,corruption etc.,and use them for gathering intelligence or as soldiers hence so we need co-ordinations of every level including the political,beurocratic levels to attack them in both militery and diplomatic ways so we can cut there source of recruit and INTEL and also these forces (CPRF and COBRAS)need to be trained and equipped properly and provided with good living conditions which are not present now
Ahmed,
In order tackle any insurgency problem state has to use carrot and sticks policy one without other results in total chaos.And to fight the ideology driven insurgency better way to counter the ideology first.
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SHASH2K2
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I somewhat agree with you. INtel is one of the most important aspect of this fight against naxals. first we need to work on their top management . 2nd we need to cut source of arms and ammunitions for them. when it come to the use of army I differ from you. Army has several jungle warfare techniques. except cobra units we donot have specialised units to fight them .CRPF is ill equipped and not properly trained for jungle warfare. moreover during peace time army is not deployed to advance positions so they can be used for this action. moreover if we donot tackle this problem now it will be too late .
Pintu
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...in-West-Bengal-Orissa/articleshow/5951382.cms
Maoists blow up tracks, buildings in West Bengal, Orissa
TNN, May 20, 2010, 03.04am IST
NEW DELHI: Maoists blew up railway tracks and government buildings in West Bengal and Orissa and set tractors on fire in Bihar on Wednesday, the second day of the 48-hour bandh in five states against Operation Green Hunt.
Most trains, including all east and New Delhi-bound Rajdhanis ran hours behind schedule. "Howrah and Sealdah Rajdhanis arrived nine hours behind schedule in New Delhi. Therefore, we had to reschedule their departure with both trains leaving New Delhi station around midnight," said Soumitra Majumder, CPRO, South Eastern Railway. In Bengal, two drivers of a goods train got minor injuries when Maoists exploded an IED on down track near Khatkura station between Gidhni and Jhargram stations in Kharagpur division of South-Eastern Railway at 1.56 am on Wednesday.
The explosion took place when the goods train from Tatanagar to Kharagpur was crossing the stretch. Train driver S C Soren and assistant MKD Poddar sustained minor injuries.
Maoists blow up tracks, buildings in West Bengal, Orissa
TNN, May 20, 2010, 03.04am IST
NEW DELHI: Maoists blew up railway tracks and government buildings in West Bengal and Orissa and set tractors on fire in Bihar on Wednesday, the second day of the 48-hour bandh in five states against Operation Green Hunt.
Most trains, including all east and New Delhi-bound Rajdhanis ran hours behind schedule. "Howrah and Sealdah Rajdhanis arrived nine hours behind schedule in New Delhi. Therefore, we had to reschedule their departure with both trains leaving New Delhi station around midnight," said Soumitra Majumder, CPRO, South Eastern Railway. In Bengal, two drivers of a goods train got minor injuries when Maoists exploded an IED on down track near Khatkura station between Gidhni and Jhargram stations in Kharagpur division of South-Eastern Railway at 1.56 am on Wednesday.
The explosion took place when the goods train from Tatanagar to Kharagpur was crossing the stretch. Train driver S C Soren and assistant MKD Poddar sustained minor injuries.
Pintu
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...n-Chhattisgarh-forest/articleshow/5951107.cms
Maoists loot ammonium nitrate from truck in Chhattisgarh forest
PTI, May 20, 2010, 12.40am IST
RAIPUR: Maoists today looted ammonium nitrate from a truck in a jungle near Dhamteri district of Chhattisgarh, the state's top police official said.
The truck driver told the police that the vehicle, which was coming from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, was stopped by the Maoists in the forest and the explosives were taken away by them, according to DGP Vishwa Ranjan.
The Naxals let off the driver who then informed the truck owner of the incident, Ranjan said adding the driver was being questioned.
Maoists loot ammonium nitrate from truck in Chhattisgarh forest
PTI, May 20, 2010, 12.40am IST
RAIPUR: Maoists today looted ammonium nitrate from a truck in a jungle near Dhamteri district of Chhattisgarh, the state's top police official said.
The truck driver told the police that the vehicle, which was coming from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh, was stopped by the Maoists in the forest and the explosives were taken away by them, according to DGP Vishwa Ranjan.
The Naxals let off the driver who then informed the truck owner of the incident, Ranjan said adding the driver was being questioned.
Pintu
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http://www.hindustantimes.com/SPOs-...from-Naxals-in-Dantewada/Article1-545703.aspx
SPOs risked lives to save people from Naxals in Dantewada
Press Trust Of India
Raipur, May 19, 2010
First Published: 15:59 IST(19/5/2010)
Last Updated: 16:02 IST(19/5/2010)
As Naxals killed with impunity innocent bus passengers in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, a few brave policemen risked their lives to drive the injured to nearby hospitals while taking on the outlaws at other end.
When the blast occurred, the bus was tossed in the air and its rear end was completely damaged. Some passengers were blown in to pieces, and some were thrown off the vehicle, said Special Police Officer (SPO), Vatti, who was travelling in the bus when the explosion took place, leaving 35 dead.
"I was lying there when four AK-47 wielding gunmen started firing. At this moment some other SPOs armed with INSAS rifles came over there. We retaliated and forced them to retreat. I was drenched with blood and felt that my end is near," said Vatti, now undergoing treatment at a hospital in Sukama.
Inspector General R K Vij said had the SPOs not retaliated, the casualties would have risen and the Naxals would also have looted police weapons.
Many injured SPOs, carrying automatic rifles, battled the outlaws. Help came in the form of some more SPOs and jawans, who arrived in a vehicle, and encircled the injured ensuring that the Naxals could cause no further damage, Vij said.
"As Naxals fled, an SPO present there stopped a jeep and asked the driver to take the injured to nearby hospitals in Sukama. Scared, the driver didn't agree...he then himself drove the vehicle, thus saving many lives," Vij said.
SPOs risked lives to save people from Naxals in Dantewada
Press Trust Of India
Raipur, May 19, 2010
First Published: 15:59 IST(19/5/2010)
Last Updated: 16:02 IST(19/5/2010)
As Naxals killed with impunity innocent bus passengers in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, a few brave policemen risked their lives to drive the injured to nearby hospitals while taking on the outlaws at other end.
When the blast occurred, the bus was tossed in the air and its rear end was completely damaged. Some passengers were blown in to pieces, and some were thrown off the vehicle, said Special Police Officer (SPO), Vatti, who was travelling in the bus when the explosion took place, leaving 35 dead.
"I was lying there when four AK-47 wielding gunmen started firing. At this moment some other SPOs armed with INSAS rifles came over there. We retaliated and forced them to retreat. I was drenched with blood and felt that my end is near," said Vatti, now undergoing treatment at a hospital in Sukama.
Inspector General R K Vij said had the SPOs not retaliated, the casualties would have risen and the Naxals would also have looted police weapons.
Many injured SPOs, carrying automatic rifles, battled the outlaws. Help came in the form of some more SPOs and jawans, who arrived in a vehicle, and encircled the injured ensuring that the Naxals could cause no further damage, Vij said.
"As Naxals fled, an SPO present there stopped a jeep and asked the driver to take the injured to nearby hospitals in Sukama. Scared, the driver didn't agree...he then himself drove the vehicle, thus saving many lives," Vij said.
Pintu
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http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100520/jsp/frontpage/story_12468991.jsp
Maoists draw CRPF first blood
- Officer and four others blown up
NARESH JANA
The jeep blown up by the Maoists.
Picture by Samir Mondal
Goaltore (West Midnapore), May 19: The CRPF has suffered its first casualties in Bengal in a Maoist attack in daylight.
Five CRPF personnel, including a deputy commandant who had served in Kashmir and reached Bengal four days ago, were killed in a landmine attack near Lalgarh this morning.
The Maoists blew up a Bolero carrying six CRPF personnel about 15km from Lalgarh in West Midnapore on the last day of a two-day bandh called by the rebels in five states.
The squad, although led by the officer with field experience in Kashmir, appears to have committed the cardinal mistake of returning by the same route after visiting camps in the area. Sources said the time — a little before noon — could have emboldened the group to overlook the drill.
The five CRPF personnel have been identified as deputy commandant Vijay Pal Singh, 40; driver Rakesh Kumar, 32; and constables B.L. Santra, 43; D.K. Samanta, 40; and D. Ramesh, 25. A constable in his mid-thirties, Nabakumar Ghosh, was injured.
This is the first time CRPF personnel have been killed in a rebel strike in the Maoist belt of Bengal. Two CRPF personnel died after joint forces were deployed in Lalgarh in June last year but one fell to sunstroke and the other is suspected to have committed suicide.
Around 11.30 this morning, the CRPF jeep reached a place about 3km from its Kadashole camp when an explosion tossed the vehicle several feet above the ground and hurled the twisted remains about 15 metres away into a field. The blast punched a two-foot-deep crater in the road.
After the blast, Maoist guerrillas fired a few rounds at the vehicle before disappearing into the Chowkishal forest. The shots suggest that the rebels were waiting nearby to detonate the mine with surgical precision.
Today's strike is the biggest blow to security forces posted in the state to combat Maoists since the attack on the Eastern Frontier Rifles camp in Shilda on February 15 this year in which 24 personnel were massacred.
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, responding to a viewer's question on a television channel, said: "There is no necessity for deployment of the army to tackle the Maoists here."
He stressed on three factors: the operation of the joint forces will continue, development measures will be taken in tribal-dominated areas and awareness will be created among the people against the Maoists.
Deputy commandant Singh and the injured constable were initially taken in an ambulance to Midnapore Medical College and Hospital from where they were referred to Calcutta. A BSF helicopter flew them to the city this evening and they were admitted to a private hospital but Singh, bandaged from top to toe, succumbed to injuries.
"Even last night, the deputy commandant had accompanied me on a raid against Maoists. He had just arrived a few days ago but was learning fast," Manoj Verma, district superintendent of police, said.
Sources said Singh had been visiting the CRPF camps in the Maoist-hit areas to familiarise himself with the personnel and the terrain.
"Today, he (Singh) had gone out in his Bolero from Goaltore to visit the CRPF camps at Ramgarh and Kadashole. He was returning to Goaltore along the same way. It appears that the Maoists saw him go towards Ramgarh and knew he would be returning along the same way. So, the rebels took the opportunity to trigger the explosive," said a police officer.
The Bolero had left Ramgarh for the Kadashole camp around 11.15am and was travelling towards the Kadashole camp along a road lined with dense forest.
"The explosion took place right under the driver. It was very accurately triggered. The improvised explosive device was planted in the road and covered with gravel. So, it was not visible from a distance. We found about 350 metres of electrical wire from the side of the road snaking into the forest," said a police officer.
A motorcyclist who rode up a few minutes later alerted the CRPF camp at Kadashole, about 3km away.
Maoists draw CRPF first blood
- Officer and four others blown up
NARESH JANA
The jeep blown up by the Maoists.
Picture by Samir Mondal
Goaltore (West Midnapore), May 19: The CRPF has suffered its first casualties in Bengal in a Maoist attack in daylight.
Five CRPF personnel, including a deputy commandant who had served in Kashmir and reached Bengal four days ago, were killed in a landmine attack near Lalgarh this morning.
The Maoists blew up a Bolero carrying six CRPF personnel about 15km from Lalgarh in West Midnapore on the last day of a two-day bandh called by the rebels in five states.
The squad, although led by the officer with field experience in Kashmir, appears to have committed the cardinal mistake of returning by the same route after visiting camps in the area. Sources said the time — a little before noon — could have emboldened the group to overlook the drill.
The five CRPF personnel have been identified as deputy commandant Vijay Pal Singh, 40; driver Rakesh Kumar, 32; and constables B.L. Santra, 43; D.K. Samanta, 40; and D. Ramesh, 25. A constable in his mid-thirties, Nabakumar Ghosh, was injured.
This is the first time CRPF personnel have been killed in a rebel strike in the Maoist belt of Bengal. Two CRPF personnel died after joint forces were deployed in Lalgarh in June last year but one fell to sunstroke and the other is suspected to have committed suicide.
Around 11.30 this morning, the CRPF jeep reached a place about 3km from its Kadashole camp when an explosion tossed the vehicle several feet above the ground and hurled the twisted remains about 15 metres away into a field. The blast punched a two-foot-deep crater in the road.
After the blast, Maoist guerrillas fired a few rounds at the vehicle before disappearing into the Chowkishal forest. The shots suggest that the rebels were waiting nearby to detonate the mine with surgical precision.
Today's strike is the biggest blow to security forces posted in the state to combat Maoists since the attack on the Eastern Frontier Rifles camp in Shilda on February 15 this year in which 24 personnel were massacred.
Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, responding to a viewer's question on a television channel, said: "There is no necessity for deployment of the army to tackle the Maoists here."
He stressed on three factors: the operation of the joint forces will continue, development measures will be taken in tribal-dominated areas and awareness will be created among the people against the Maoists.
Deputy commandant Singh and the injured constable were initially taken in an ambulance to Midnapore Medical College and Hospital from where they were referred to Calcutta. A BSF helicopter flew them to the city this evening and they were admitted to a private hospital but Singh, bandaged from top to toe, succumbed to injuries.
"Even last night, the deputy commandant had accompanied me on a raid against Maoists. He had just arrived a few days ago but was learning fast," Manoj Verma, district superintendent of police, said.
Sources said Singh had been visiting the CRPF camps in the Maoist-hit areas to familiarise himself with the personnel and the terrain.
"Today, he (Singh) had gone out in his Bolero from Goaltore to visit the CRPF camps at Ramgarh and Kadashole. He was returning to Goaltore along the same way. It appears that the Maoists saw him go towards Ramgarh and knew he would be returning along the same way. So, the rebels took the opportunity to trigger the explosive," said a police officer.
The Bolero had left Ramgarh for the Kadashole camp around 11.15am and was travelling towards the Kadashole camp along a road lined with dense forest.
"The explosion took place right under the driver. It was very accurately triggered. The improvised explosive device was planted in the road and covered with gravel. So, it was not visible from a distance. We found about 350 metres of electrical wire from the side of the road snaking into the forest," said a police officer.
A motorcyclist who rode up a few minutes later alerted the CRPF camp at Kadashole, about 3km away.
