Date:22/09/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/09/22/stories/2006092208911500.htm

National

Two policemen killed in Maoist mine blast

Special Correspondent

29 persons, including journalists, injured

The dead are both constables of the bomb squad

Inquiry into incident to be held

Kolkata: Two policemen were killed and 29 injured, among them senior police officers and photojournalists, when a land mine suspected to be planted by Communist Party of India (Maoist) activists exploded in the Lalgarh area of West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district around noon on Thursday.

The incident occurred when the policemen, who included personnel of the bomb squad, were trying to detonate the mine hidden under the foliage of an uprooted tree on a road through a forest. They were informed of the mine by locals, and were accompanied by journalists. The dead, both constables, belonged to the bomb squad.

Bandh called

The Maoist organisation had called a bandh in Paschim Medinipur and the adjoining districts of Purulia and Bankura during the day to mark the second anniversary of its foundation. The Maoists have a substantial presence in certain pockets in these three districts in the southwestern part of the State and are responsible for several recent attacks targeting policemen and Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders.

Two days ago, Maoist extremists were held responsible for the murder of a local CPI (M) leader, Anil Mahato and his bodyguard, who were dragged out of a bus and shot dead in the Jhargram area of Paschim Medinipur.

Expressing concern, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said an inquiry would be held into the land mine blast. He held a meeting at the State Secretariat here with senior State and police officials to review the law and order situation in the region.

The State's Director-General of Police and a team of officials of the Criminal Investigation Department have been sent to the blast site, Mr. Bhattacharjee said. Those who were killed had successfully detonated explosives in at least seven occasions earlier.

In all, 19 police personnel, including the district's Additional Superintendent of Police and Deputy Superintendent of Police, were injured and have been hospitalised.

Another seven journalists were admitted to hospital with serous injuries.