Kolkata, Feb. 15: After months in hibernation, the Maoists struck again with a vengeance, carrying out twin attacks on two security force camps at Sildah and Dharampur in West Midnapore on Monday. At least 21 Eastern Frontier Rifles jawans were killed.
The new Maoist attacks carry a stark message to the Union home ministry: "Stop the joint operations". The death toll is expected to rise as many of the policemen at the two camps were still missing when reports last came in.
"I offer my condolence towards the families of the 21 jawans who were charred to death in Monday’s incident at Sildah, but if the government wants to stop this bloodshed they have to stop the operations. We are ready for talks only if the government stops the operation," CPI (Maoist) politburo member Koteswar Rao, alias Kishenji, threatened.
"There were around 35 to 40 rebels who had come to the small shops in that area posing as customers. All of a sudden, at around 5.50 pm, they opened fire on the approximately 51 Eastern Frontier Rifles jawans in the camp and, after torching it, escaped on motorcycles," said a senior IPS officer in charge of anti-Maoist operations in West Bengal.
"We had no inkling of the attack. I was cooking when I heard a very loud explosion. Next, there was a spree of random gunshots. The Maoists, riding motorcycles, had surrounded us and were firing. We all ran in whatever directions we could. I am lucky to have come out safe," said EFR jawan Rakesh Lepcha, a cook at the camp.
Half an hour later, another group of Maoists attacked the Dharampur police camp where they were engaged in a fierce gun battle with the joint security forces. Though Maoist leader Kishenji claimed there were no Maoist casualties, police sources said they had gunned down at least three of the armed rebels. Senior officers believe the Dharampur was a deliberate Maoist ploy to divert the attention of the police from Sildah camp so as to ensure maximum damage.
Condemning the incident, Union railway minister and Trinamul Congress chief Mamata Banerjee blamed the state government for this incident. "Who is to be blamed? First, why did not the police have prior intelligence of the incident when the Maoists had attacked these areas earlier.? Or was it some provocative speech made by the chief minister that fuelled the Maoist attack," Ms Banerjee questioned.
She alleged: "The CPI(M) has a large group of harmad (hired goons) who are also camping nearby. Now it remains to be found out whether the attack was carried out by the Maoists or the Marxists. Whoever the culprits, either the harmad or the Maoists, they should be duly punished," she added.
The ambush has left the forces low in morale and arms. The recent seizure of Kishenji’s laptop and tents, used by him and his trusted lieutenants, from Salboni had fuelled the police’s hopes of catching him. Monday’s incident, however, has left them rattled. "This is a very serious incident, probably the first of its kind in West Bengal," said state DGP Bhupinder Singh, adding that the attackers took away all the arms from that police camp.
Monalisa Chaudhri