Maoists strike again, kill 5 CRPF personnel in Bengal

Within 48 hours of blowing up a bus carrying civilians and special police officers in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, Maoist guerillas struck again with a major landmine blast near Ramgarh under Lalgarh police station in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district on Wednesday.

Four Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed on the spot and several, including two deputy commandants, hurt. One of the deputy commandants succumbed to injuries at West Midnapore District Hospital at around 6 pm, while the other wounded are battling for life.

The deceased have been identified as constables B Santara, DK Samanta, D Ramesh and Rakesh Kumar and deputy commandant BP Singh. The blast took place at around 11.30 am, within 24 hours of Maoists rejecting P Chidambaram’s talks offer.

The Union home minister had asked the extremists to abjure violence and come forward for talks, but they refused to give up arms.

A vehicle carrying CRPF personnel from the Kadasole joint forces camp to Goaltore market was blown up. District police sources said an advance party of CRPF failed to locate the landmine.

“The blast left a six-foot-deep crater in the road,” a district police officer said.

Additional forces were rushed to the spot and combing operations started. An aerial survey was also carried out using choppers, resulting in the arrest of a suspected Maoist who is being interrogated.

It was Wednesday’s second landmine blast triggered by Maoists in West Midnapore - at around 2 am, the left-wing ultras had blown up tracks between Jhargram and Khatkura railway stations derailing a goods train and seriously injuring its driver and his assistant.

Following the blast, train services on the route were disrupted and many long-distance trains had to be diverted.

Underground Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji claimed responsibility for the blast. In a statement circulated among a section of the media in Kolkata, he said the blast was a reply to the “ongoing atrocities on tribals by the combined forces in the name of Operation Green Hunt”.

He warned of more  attacks in the coming days unless the combined forces are withdrawn immediately. Maoists had called a 48-hour bandh in five states on Wednesday for the same demand.
—With PTI inputs