Naxalite attack brings Asia's largest bauxite mine to a halt

An eight-hour gun-battle between security forces and Naxalites at the Panchapatmali bauxite mines of the National Aluminium Company Ltd in Koraput district of Orissa ended early morning today, leaving 10 jawans of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and four Naxalites dead.

Meanwhile, the operation of Nalco’s bauxite mine, with an annual capacity of 48,00,000 tonnes, came to a grinding halt as security personnel swarmed the area in pursuit of the Naxalites.

“Mining will resume only after police have checked the area thoroughly. The Naxalites may have laid land mines at different places,” said Nalco Chairman C R Pradhan.

Manmohan Praharaj, Director General of Police (DGP), said at least 13 CISF jawans were also injured. Two of them were airlifted to Visakhapatnam after their condition worsened.

The Naxalites had laid siege to Nalco's Panchapatmali mines, the largest bauxite deposits in Asia, from 9.30 last night to loot the explosives stored there for mining operations.

Around 100 mine workers, held hostage by the Naxalites, were set free this morning, said a Nalco official, adding the Naxalites could not take away the explosives in the magazine store at the foothill of Panchapatmali because the CISF jawans guarding the depot put up a tough fight. About 25 tonnes of explosives, including ammonium nitrate and detonators, were stored in the depot.

Sources said though the raiders could not loot the depot, they took away an explosive-filled van, which had just arrived for unloading at the depot. It contained about nine tonnes of explosives. They also took away the ammunition of the 10 CISF personnel they had killed at the spot.

The Naxals started retreating in the early hours of this morning after enforcements from the Special Operation Group, an elite anti-Naxal force, and CRPF personnel were rushed to the area to take control of the situation.

Meanwhile, the para-military forces have launched a massive combing operation to catch the Naxalites and are reported to be engaged in heavy gun battles in deep forests close to the mines.The site being on the southern tip of Orissa, the Naxalites are suspected to have headed for the Andhra Pradesh border after the operation.

A helicopter was also pressed into service to air-drop the forces in this difficult terrain and also for surveillance, the DGP said. The DGP and senior police officers are now camping at the spot to supervise the combing operations.

He, however, said the combing parties are finding it difficult to advance, as the retreating Naxalites planted land mines and blocked the roads by felling trees and placing boulders.