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Bihar on red alert after jail break

     Jehanabad/New Delhi: The police have been put on high alert all over Bihar and surrounding States following storming the Jehanabad Jail by nearly one thousand Maoist rebels, freeing more than 300 prisoners, including many fellow guerrillas on Sunday night. The Union Home Secretary, V.K. Duggal, has called for an emergency meeting of Central Security Force representatives and other agencies. Eight members of private army Ranvir Sena abducted by the Maoists were found dead in the state on Monday. District Magistrate Rana Avadhesh said that three of the dead bodies were found at the railway track near the district jail, while five bodies were recovered from the railway station at Belagang in Gaya district. Two jail guards were killed on the spot while one died later in hospital.

    "Two (policemen) were killed here on the spot while one died in the hospital. Others are still hospitalised. Eight of our rifles are missing, five of which belonged to the Home Guards, and three to the police. Prisoners have escaped from a total of 331 wards. Whether some of them have run away or have been kidnapped, it has still to be verified. Ten others are also missing. In total 341 prisoners are missing", said Amrik Singh Nimbran, Inspector General of Police, Patna. Bihar police and Central Para-Military Forces have mounted a manhunt to apprehend the Maoist guerrillas. The raid was carried out by the Maoists to free their comrades and kidnap activists of the banned upper caste militia, the Ranvir Sena. Official sources said a leader of the Ranvir Sena, Bade Sharma, and Durga Rajak , a sentry posted at the overcrowded jail, were shot dead by the Maoists, while the body of a suspected Naxalite was recovered under a bridge on Darda river near the Jehanabad police station. Five persons, including two warders, a havildar and a cook of the jail were wounded in the Naxalite operation and have been admitted to Jehanabad Sadar hospital. The rebels also abducted at least two-dozen members of Ranbir Sena, the 'army' of upper caste landlords who were jail inmates, police said. Police admit they were caught unawares. "We were on duty when we heard the gunfire. But before I was able to load my gun, I got hit. They (Maoists) were firing indiscriminately at the policemen and the home guards. They were armed with guns and shouting that they will free the Maoists and take away our ammunition," said Hare Ram Prasad Yadav, a constable who was hit by a bullet in his legs.

     Hundreds of angry supporters of the Ranvir Sena are demonstrating outside the jail to protest against the kidnappings. Bihar Home Secretary H.C. Shirohi, said it was one of the biggest attacks carried out by Maoists in the State. He said reinforcements were being sent from Patna and Gaya. Police and local witnesses said the Maoists made announcements during the night-time attack asking civilians to remain indoors and assuring them that they would not be harmed. Maoists, also known as Naxalites in the region, claim that they are fighting for the rights of landless labourers and impoverished peasants. In Bihar, clashes are common between the Maoists and private armies of landlords. Maoists have been active in Jharkand and Andhra Pradesh. Last week, about 300 Maoists stormed a training centre in neighbouring Jharkhand State for auxiliary policemen, killing five cadets.

     Around twenty additional Central Paramilitary forces are being rushed to Bihar in the wake of the Sunday's mass jail break in which 341 prisoners escaped after Maoists attacked on the district prison. The decision was taken at a meeting called by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil this morning with senior officials of the ministry, said Union Home Secretary V K Duggal. He further said that the Home Minister has asked the officials to provide all possible assistance to Bihar government to counter the Naxalite threats. The Home Secretary said that two helicopters would be pressed into action for air surveillance and the number of para-military forces would be increased after the November 19 elections in the state. Terming the incident as "unfortunate," Duggal said the government's priority would be to get the kidnapped people released in addition to capturing the culprits. "While the attack was repulsed from police lines and college, the Naxalites were successful in climbing the walls of Jehanabad prison from where they were successful in releasing their men besides abducting 12-40 people of Ranveer Sena," he said. One Naxalite, who had been injured in the attack, had been taken into custody and would be questioned, he said. Responding to queries, Duggal said there was not any connection between the November 11 Giridih attack and Jehanabad incident, though he said that the main target of the attack could have been the police lines to get more arms and ammunition. Accepting lapses in security, he said, "The failure will have to be justified and somebody will be accountable for that," adding that the authorities in Bihar could not say that they were not aware of it when nearly 500 people assembled there. Neighbouring Jharkhand state had also been alerted following the attack, Duggal added.

    Meanwhile, the incident is likely to snowball into a major controversy during the winter session of the Parliament. The State authorities in Bihar have not been able to trace the culprits so far. Bharatiya Janata Party president L K Advani today blamed the Central Government for the incident, saying its policy to tackle the Naxal problem had proved a total disaster. "The Centre's policy vis-a-vis Naxalites has proved to be a total disaster. The central government's mishandling of the Naxalite problem is at the root of the banned outfit functioning with impunity," said Advani in Patna. Another BJP leader Uma Bharti, on the other hand, said the attack has proved that there was no rule of law in Bihar and the State Governor owed an explanation to the people.