Date:07/01/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/01/07/stories/2005010701571300.htm

National

Major strike by naxalites in Bihar

By K. Balchand

PATNA, JAN. 6. The Munger Superintendent of Police, K.C. Surendrababu, and six other police personnel were killed in a landmine blast at Lakshmipur village in Jammui district while returning from a joint operation against naxalites on Wednesday.

The Home Secretary, Girish Shankar, told The Hindu that the naxalites blew up the SP's jeep when he was returning to Munger after conducting a raid with the police of the Jammui and Lakhisarai districts.

The joint operation was to hunt for people who had snatched four SLRs, a revolver and 500 cartridges from the Government Railway Police at the Kajra station in Lakhisarai district on Tuesday.

It is the first major strike by the CPI (Maoists) in the State ahead of the Assembly elections.

This is the second incident of a police officer of the rank of Superintendent being killed by naxalites in the past four years. In 2000, prior to the division of the State, the Lohardagga SP, Ajay Kumar, was killed by naxalites.