Kolkata, May 20: A Deputy commandant and four jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force ( CRPF) were killed while another personnel was wounded when Maoists detonated a landmine that blew up the SUV in which they were travelling on Wednesday.
The incident took place at Kadashole jungle in West Midnapore when the Maoists triggered an improvised explosive device ( IED).
The attack comes barely 48 hours after the Maoists blew up a bus in Dantewada killing at least 35.
Those killed on Wednesday were Vijay Prasad Singh ( deputy commandant), B. L. Santra ( head constable), Rakesh Kumar ( driver), Sawant Biswal ( constable) and D. Babul ( constable).
Constable Naba Kumar Ghosh sustained severe head injuries. The deputy commandant, who was posted in Srinagar, had recently joined the CRPF camp in West Midnapore.
“The deputy commandant succumbed to his injuries while on his way to a private nursing home in Kolkata,” inspector general of police, CRPF (Eastern Sector), M. Nageswar Rao said. “The injured constable has been admitted to the same nursing home and his condition is stated to be critical,” he added.
The incident has once again raised questions about the safety measures adopted by the jawans while conducting operations in the jungles.
The blast took place around 11.30 am when a CRPF team from the 66th battalion was travelling towards Kadashole from their Ramgarh camp for routine patrolling. While the SUV was passing through a culvert (located between Pingboni and Ramgarh) the rebels triggered a powerful IED.
The impact of the explosion left a six-foot deep crater. “Following the blast, gunshots were heard for a few minutes. This was done to prevent additional forces from reaching the spot,” Rao said.
Bhupinder Singh, the director general of West Bengal police, felt the CRPF personnel needed to be more vigilant while operating in the Maoist belt.
“There was some security lapse. The casual approach helped the Maoists in their plan. We have to be extra careful,” Singh said.
Later in the day, the media bore the brunt of the security personnel when they went to inspect the blast site. The jawans broke their cameras and roughed up journalists with batons and rifle butts. No media person was allowed to venture close to the area.
In a separate incident, the Maoists detonated a landmine that blew up a track between Gidhni and Khathura railway stations and damaged a goods train running between Tatanagar and Howrah in the Jhargram police station area.
The driver and his assistant were severely wounded and were rushed to a nearby hospital.
Soumitra Majumdar, the PRO of South Eastern Railways said: “ Seven long- distance trains have been left stranded at different stations on the route. Many trains have also been diverted.” The Maoist- sponsored bandh in five states on Wednesday affected railway services in various regions, with three Rajdhani Express trains reaching Delhi about eight hours behind schedule.
Many trains were halted between Mughalsarai and Gaya late on Tuesday after an alert about a bomb on a railway track.
The three Delhi- bound trains that arrived late were Rajdhanis coming from Howrah, Sealdah and Bhubaneswar.
In Orissa’s Malkangiri district, Maoists blew up a panchayat office building on Wednesday, reports PTI. A large number of armed Maoists stormed Badigata village and triggered a landmine explosion, blowing up the panchayat building.
—PTI