Foreign Conspiracy in Bihar Jail Break
MIL/Agencies, Nov 14, 2005.
Indian Govt. has rushed paramilitary forces to Jehanabad in Bihar, where a thousand naxal rebels are reported to have attacked a district jail on Sunday evening.
A paramilitary force of over one thousand jawans , including the Rapid Action Force are directed to leave for Bihar to control the situation. The district administration had earlier requisitioned 25 companies of paramilitary forces and helicopters but that proved ineffective.
In a ghastly attack, the naxals got freed a popular leader and killed a member of Ranvir Sena, a militant organization of the outlawed upper caste. The situation is tense as the naxals targetted prisoners belonging to the upper caste Ranvir Sena.
Over 340 prisoners escaped and five people were killed in the attacks. Top Naxal leader Ajay Kanu who was held at the prison, has been reported missing during the siege.
According to NDTV, the police force is still struggling to restore control in south of Patna. Last evening the police and the local administration were attacked in one of the biggest strikes on the district jail.
Police had to resort to a lathi-charge to control the crowds who had come to the jail.While there were many relatives of the prisoners, most were members of the Ranvir Sena who had come to protest.
The raiders are said to have kidnapped at least 20 members of the Ranvir Sena held at the prison and at least one of them died during the raid. Santosh Kumar Panday and Hasan were among the men kidnapped last night by the naxals, who returned to recount what happened.
"I wanted to escape. Till halfway I thought that they were from the police, since they were in uniform. They were everywhere. There was a huge line and they had taken a lot of people in custody," said one of the men.
"We cannot tell how many people were there. But there were lot of people in a queue. They dragged us 10 km on foot and then they left us in a paddy field. Look how they have tortured us," he added.
A Maoist Manoj Kanu, injured in the attack has now been admitted at the local hospital PMCH.
"We used to visit Jehanabad for the past few months and there were around 150--200 members in my team. I am the lone member from my village in the naxal movement," he said.
"There was one electrician accompanying me. I had the remote in my pocket and the switch of the remote was pressed by default. The bomb burst and in the process I got hurt," he added.
Over a dozen live bombs, wires, batteries and a police uniform were also found at different places in Jehanabad.
People who are out on the streets in thousands have been asked not to venture near them or touch unclaimed objects.
The Centre has said that the situation is now under control. But Minister of State for Home Sri Prakash Jaiswal admitted that there was a security lapse at the jail.
"The main reason for the incident was that our entire force was deployed for the polls. Only eight to 10 police personnel were there," said the Minister.
"Paramilitary forces in nearby areas have been rushed to the jail. They had asked for 20 more companies of paramilitary forces and we are arranging for that," he added.
In Delhi, the Home Ministry has called a meeting to discuss the jailbreak
|
|
