10 CRPF men, 3 rebels dead in Maoist attack in Bihar

PATNA: The Maoist attack in Bihar on Monday that killed 10 CRPF jawans not only left a trail of bodies and dismembered limbs but also stumped authorities in the

PATNA: The Maoist attack in Bihar on Monday that killed 10 CRPF jawans not only left a trail of bodies and dismembered limbs but also stumped authorities in the state.

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Security forces on Tuesday were busy scouring the hilly terrain close to the Aurangabad-Gaya border for evidence to piece together the chain of events that resulted in the heavy casualties.

The area where the encounter took place is close to the Lutma hill dividing Biharand Jhark hand and 3km south of Amas town on the Grand Trunk Road.

Police said the CRPF team had forayed deep into the jungles around Saundaha to track down Maoists who had reportedly gathered atop a hill. The first team set out at around 9am. Another team was to join them as reinforcements. It was then that the Maoists struck.

State police chief PK Thakur said the rebels hiding in the hills fired first at a group of 25 CRPF personnel as they were walking up the hill.

“Around 11am, we got information about the Maoists engaging security personnel in a gunbattle. We sent a helicopter but it was unable to evacuate our people as the Maoists were firing heavily on the jawans,” Gaya district magistrate Ravi Kumar said. Sometime between 11am and 6pm— the duration of the gun battle— the Maoists detonated IEDs, inflicting heavy casualties.

“They had planted several IEDs along a narrow passage that the CR PF jawans were trying to negotiate on foot ,” Thakur told HT .“They had specific information about the Maoist activity but were perhaps caught on the wrong foot due to the treacherous terrain.”

The gunfight also left five men of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action( Co BRA) injured. Three with serious injuries were airlifted to Patna Medical College and Hospital. The bodies of three Maoists killed in the gun fight have been recovered, Thakur said.

The region is typical guerrilla country, police said, where security forces either use motorcycles or patrol on foot to avoid landmines laid by Maoists. They also avoid concrete roads since the Maoists are known to plant bombs that they detonate at their convenience.

Hills and dense forests separate Bihar from Jharkhand and offer a safe hiding place to Maoists, who are well acquainted with the topography.

Police said the area has been categorized as “disturbed” since the 1980s, and especially after the advent of the Maoist Communist Centre, which merged with the Peoples War Group in 2004 to form the CPI-Maoist.

The Maoists use the hills to enter and exit Jharkhand after targeting security forces and their assets and police operations are mainly restricted to the day time due to lack of night vision devices and fear of landmines.