Kolkata: In yet another daring attack, Maoists attacked a joint forced security camp in Sildha in the West Midnapore district of West Bengal that killed at least 24 paramilitary personnel on Monday.
District Magistrate N S Nigam said at least 50 Maoists on 25 motorcycles and a
rmed with sophisticated weapons swooped down on the camp.
“At least 24 jawans of EFR have been killed in the attack on the Silda camp,” he confirmed.
“There were 51 EFR jawans and officers in the camp when the attack took place,” IGP (Law and Order) S Purakayastha told PTI.
Nigam said the Maoists also planted landmines on the entire stretch of the road leading to the camp.
“According to information available here, nine jawans were burnt to death and five others were shot dead. We are yet to get the detailed figure of the casualty,” a source said.
The Maoists launched another attack on a CRPF camp at Dharampur in the district tonight. A group of 40 armed Maoists attacked the camp at around 8.30 pm in Lalgarh engaging the jawans in an exchange of fire.
Two companies of CRPF have been rushed from adjacent posts to aid the Sealdah camp. According to Nigam night vision force with anti-landmine vehicles have been rushed to the camp from nearby Binpur.
Meanwhile, Maoist leader Kishenji claimed responsibility for the attack.
“We have attacked the camp and this is our answer to Chidambaram’s ‘Operation Green Hunt’ and unless the Centre stops this inhuman military operation we are going to answer this way only,” Kishenji said from an undisclosed location.
He claimed there were at least 35 Eastern Frontier jawans who had been liquidated and they had looted sophisticated arms including AK-47, SLR and mortars from the camp which they set ablaze.
The attack took most of the jawans by surprise as they were either “whiling away their time in the camp or were busy in the kitchen cooking”, a senior police officer said.
-PTI inputs
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