About 300-400 women, including relatives of the deceased EFR jawans and their surviving colleagues, on Tuesday demonstrated at Salua camp of the EFR battalion near Kharagpur, blaming the state government for failure to provide security to the 24 jawans who fell to Maoist bullets.
The demonstration took place shortly after the arrival of five West Bengal ministers, led by Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta, to accord gunsalute to the deceased jawans at the Salua camp tonight before the bodies would be handed over to the relatives for last rites.
The demonstrators slammed the state police administration for its "total failure" to provide security to the EFR jawans and alleged that the personnel were not adequately trained to face ultras "and were forcibly pushed to face danger."
State's Civil Defence minister Srikumar Mukhkerjee said that the demonstration was natural and money could not compensate for the loss of precious lives.
"We have come here to listen to their grievances and we sympathise with them," he said.
Mukherjee said it was incorrect to assume that the EFR jawans, killed in Maoist attack at Silda camp last night, were not adequately trained.
{{/usCountry}}Mukherjee said it was incorrect to assume that the EFR jawans, killed in Maoist attack at Silda camp last night, were not adequately trained.
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