After CM combat vow, Naxals kill 4 cops

JAMBONI/MIDNAPORE: In sheer defiance of the huge police bandobast for chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee���s visit to Jangalmahal, Maoists ambushed a patrol party just 50 km from Midnapore town ��� and 30 minutes after the CM left ��� killing four jawans on Sunday. The attack came only hours after the CM announced intensification of combat operations against the guerrillas.
������We are obtaining precise information on Maoist activity with the help of central agencies and have prepared a blueprint for counterattack.We are very much on the offensive,������ Bhattacharjee said at a press conference around noon, unveiling a two-pronged strategy of full-scale aggression and development. ������The situation is under control,������ he said.
The Maoists struck five hours later. A 50-member rebel squad opened fire on a jeep carrying Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) and Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) jawans on a road at Gidli Bazaar around 5.30pm - barely 500 metres from the Jamboni police camp. Four jawans were killed on the spot. Eyewitnesses say the Maoists sprayed bullets from AK-47 rifles, looted arms from the vehicle, and walked away without any resistance.
The audacious attack exposed chinks in the security set-up. Jangalmahal is already crawling with paramilitary and police forces. Over 3,000 policemen were deployed for the CM���s security but the Maoists still managed to sneak in and lay an ambush. It���s a pattern seen for over a year ��� the Maoists make a bold statement by launching attacks on high security days.
In November last year, a landmine blast targeted the CM���s convoy that had two Union ministers, industrialist Sajjan Jindal and his son Naveen, an MP. The Sankrail police station ambush happened when senior police officers were on a stock-taking mission. And the Rajdhani was besieged on the very day the chief secretary was visiting Lalgarh.
The four jawans killed on Sunday are Bhakta Bahadur Limbu, Naresh Thapa, Vinod Tamang and Than Bahadur Viswakarma. Three-four jawans were injured in the ambush. Forces from the Jamboni camp fired back and chased the Maoists as they fled towards Tulsiboni forest to sneak into Jharkhand.
State home secretary Ardhendu Sen confirmed the ambush. ������The spot is very far from the place the chief minister visited. It seems the attack has got more to do with PCPA���s foundation day, which was observed on November 7, than the CM���s visit. The joint forces and police are carrying out raids,������ said Sen.