20 securitymen killed in Naxal attack

The attack comes a week after the home minister held a meeting on countering rebels.

At least 20 paramilitary jawans were today killed in the biggest-ever Naxal attack in West Bengal when the ultras overran their camp at Silda in West Midnapore after setting it on fire.

The attacks came barely a week after Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had a meeting with chief ministers of West Bengal and Orissa, deputy chief ministers of Jharkhand and top officials from Bihar here to draw up a joint strategy to counter the rebels.

“At least 20 jawans of Eastern Frontiers Rifles (EFR) have been killed in the attack at the Silda camp and the condition of two is stated to be very critical,” district magistrate N S Nigam said from Midnapore.

The rebels launched another attack on a CRPF camp at Dharampur in the district tonight. A group of 40 armed Naxals attacked the camp around 8.30 pm in Lalgarh engaging the jawans in an exchange of fire.

Nigam said at least 100 Maoists armed with sophisticated weapons came on motorcycles and four-wheelers, exploded landmines near the Silda camp before barging inside with a volley of fire around 5.30 pm.

There were 51 EFR jawans and officers in the camp when the attack took place, sources said. The attack took most of the jawans by surprise as they were either “whiling away their time in the camp or busy in the kitchen cooking”, a senior police officer said.

Meanwhile, Naxal leader Kishenji claimed responsibility for the attack. “We have attacked the camp and this is our answer to Chidambaram’s ‘Operation Green Hunt’ and unless the Centre stops this inhuman military operation we are going to answer this way only,” Kishenji told PTI from an undisclosed location.