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Operation jailbreak: Shutdown in Jehanabad

     Jehanabad: A series of public protests are on in Naxal-dominated Jehanabad following a move by the Maoists to free 341 prisoners from the Jehanabad Jail on Sunday night. The move resulted in 12 persons being killed, including nine who belonged the Ranvir Sena, the so-called private army of the landlord class in lawless Bihar. The attack has prompted the central government and state administration to order two Indian Air Force helicopters to carry out aerial surveys and deploy several additional central paramilitary companies (CPMF) to keep a check on the emerging law and order situation in Jehanabad. The state is engaged in a huge manhunt to catch the CPI Maoists who stormed the jail. Bihar, which is in the midst of assembly state elections, has a strong presence of at least 90,000 security forces to ensure a free and fair result. At least 24 CPMF were already engaged in anti-Naxal operations in the state and few more are likely to be deployed once the elections get over on November 19.

     Meanwhile, Bihar Governor Buta Singh on Tuesday ordered a probe into the jail break in Jehanabad town. Even the Governor admitted that the administration failed to stop the attack despite having information about it. "The most serious issue regarding the incident is that we had the information and despite that we could do nothing. We have formed a committee which has been entrusted with the enquiry into the incident and submit a report to the state government," Singh told reporters at a press conference in Patna. The rebels had entered the town with a population of around 80,000 people, in the state in small groups, cut off power and raided the prison in one of the biggest ever attacks by Maoist guerrillas. The rebels, who were estimated to be in a group of one thousand, killed a prison guard and a member of a private army 'Ranvir Sena' of upper caste landlords in a gunbattle.

     Leader of opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party president Lal Krishna Advani, president of opposition, demanded a proper enquiry into the matter. He, however, said both the state and the Central governments should join hands to fight the menace in the in Naxal or Maoist infested areas. "This (Naxalite) issue is not a state issue. It's a problem as serious as a terrorist threat for which both the Centre and the State governments should cooperate and join hands. However, the jail break in Jehanabad should be inquired properly," Advani told reporters in New Delhi. The state police nabbed one of the suspected Maoist rebels on Monday even as authorities promised to be lenient if the runaways came back. The Centre on Monday said it would provide additional forces to Bihar to nab the Maoists. The attack took place on a day when police were deployed in other parts of the state for the ongoing Assembly elections, which ends this weekend. The rebels, who say they are fighting for the rights of landless labourers and impoverished peasants, have stepped up attacks in recent months. Last week, about 300 Maoists stormed a training centre for auxiliary policemen, killing five cadets, in neighbouring Jharkhand state. While in Bihar, they often clash with private armies of landlords. According to the Home Ministry, there are around 9,300 armed Maoist rebels in the country who claim of having links with Maoist insurgents in Nepal.