OUR BUREAU
Patna/Ranchi, Aug. 23: The sheer strength of numbers helped Maoists pull off the fatal attack on a patrol team in Jamui on Bihar-Jharkhand border last night, senior police officers have conceded.
Armed with rifles, bombs and sickles, more than 60 rebels ambushed a six-member Special Auxiliary Police (SAP) force near Sonobazaar, killing four, including assistant sub-inspector Abdul Kalam. A fifth jawan died in hospital today. The Nitish Kumar government has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each to the kin of the deceased SAP personnel.
The Bihar and Jharkhand police have mounted a joint operation in Jamui and its surrounding areas. The body of a Maoist, identified as Naresh Yadav, has been recovered from the spot, triggering speculation that the rebels, too, may have suffered heavy casualties. Read the rest of this entry »
The purpose of the current much-trumpeted operation by the paramilitary forces in Lalgarh region of West Midnapore (West Bengal), is to suppress the democratic upsurge of the tribals and to send out a warning to all oppressed sections against any attempt to similarly challenge the State authority and establish people’s authority. It is also part of the ruling classes’ systematic long-planned attack on the communist revolutionaries nationwide who are challenging the entire system of exploitation and oppression. For these reasons it is incumbent on all communist revolutionaries and revolutionary democrats to stand steadfast by the tribals of Lalgarh, oppose the State’s campaign of suppression, and uphold the right of the masses to rebel against the existing oppressive social, economic and political order and set up their own popular authority. Whatever the differences of tactical line among the communist revolutionaries, they stand united and with the revolutionary masses against the enemy onslaught. 