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Ranvir Sena revenge for Jehanabad attack

     Jehanabad (Bihar): In a sign of rapidly escalating tension, the Ranvir Sena, the private army of Bihar's landlord class, has vowed to avenge the killing and kidnapping of its activists by Maoist rebels. It may be recalled that the Maoists freed 389 inmates of the Jehanabad District Prison and killed four persons in the attack last Sunday. They also gunned down nine kidnapped members of the Ranvir Sena, which triggered protests from the Sena. "We are still having a round of meetings within us and are awaiting reports. When it comes, we shall make our move and for one person killed we shall kill hundred," threatened Gulab, a Ranvir Sena member. "This event was not shameful to us. Instead it was shameful for the Central Government and the Bihar Government. We are just doing our bit to clear these unwanted people. We are going to pay back for whatever we have lost. If anybody in Bihar gives them shelter then we will just barge in and kill the entire family," says Param, a member of the Ranvir Sena.

    Meanwhile, troops are patrolling the town and around 1,000 Central paramilitary personnel have been deployed to control the situation in Jehenabad. "To prevent an incident like this we have taken necessary precautions. I myself went to Jehanabad to inspect the situation prevailing there," says Ashish Ranjan Sinha, Director General of Police, Bihar. It is suspected that hard-core Naxalite leaders namely Ajay Kanu and Murali, who were lodged in the jail, had plotted the Sunday night's operation and managed to escape. While a sentry, a warden and Ranvir Sena leader Bade Sharma were shot dead at the jail, a constable perished in the gun battle with the Naxalites on that attack. Bodies of three of the members of Ranvir Sena, who were believed to be abducted, were recovered from a Railway track near the jail. Five other Sena men were believed to have been killed at Belagang in adjoining Gaya district. The body of a prominent Ranvir Sena activist Visweshwar Rai was found at Pinjora village in Jehanabad district on Monday evening.