An inspector of the Sarenga police station, about 200 km north of Kolkata, was killed in a gunfight between security forces and Maoists on Wednesday night.
A Maoist rebel was also killed and another.
The incident took place when inspector Rabi Lochan Mitra led his men to confront
a group of 30 rebels, who attacked local CPM leader Tarashankar Patra at his residence. Patra sustained a bullet injury in the shootout.
“On getting information on the ambush, Mitra rushed to the spot with a team of Centre-state combined forces. Another team also arrived from Lalgarh,” said Bankura SP Vishal Garg.
Around 250 rounds were reportedly fired. Mitra received a bullet in the chest and died instantly, police sources said.
Police have detained two persons, including Mitra’s cook Ram Chandra Dule.
“We found bloodstains in the cook’s rickshaw. Other evidence also make us suspect that he was involved in the attack,” said a police officer.
On February 23, the Maoists offered the government a 72-day ceasefire from February 25 to May 7 if it called off the offensive against the rebels.