A BSF jawan was injured in an encounter between a contingent of 70 army personnel and a group of Maoists, who attacked their camp in Bihar's Rohtas district early Wednesday, a day ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls in the state.
A BSF jawan was injured in an encounter between a contingent of 70 army personnel and a group of Maoists, who attacked their camp in Bihar's Rohtas district early Wednesday, a day ahead of the first phase of the Lok Sabha polls in the state.
Around 200 CPI (Maoist) guerrillas, who have called for a boycott of the Lok Sabha polls, surrounded the BSF camp set up near Rohtasgarh fort in Dhansa valley and fired rockets at it, Additional Director General of Police (HQ) Neelmani said in Patna.
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The BSF personnel retaliated the firing and got engaged in an encounter with the ultras that lasted for over three-and-a-half hours.
"A BSF jawan, who suffered a leg injury, has been evacuated and shifted to Patna Medical College Hospital where he is reported to be out of danger," Neelmani said, adding the BSF contingent fought valiantly and repulsed the attack.
Meanwhile, IG (Operations) SK Bharadwaj said two IAF helicopters have been pressed into service to assist the ground forces in tracking down the retreating naxalites and also to airdrop security personnel.
Rohtas Superintendent of Police, Vikas Vaibhav is leading a team of Central paramilitary forces, state police and the Special Task Force (STF) in the forests around the scene of encounter. However, there was no communication between the state police headquarters and the BSF camp as equipment were believed to have been damaged in the attack, Bharadwaj said.
TV channels showed police and paramilitary jawans trudging along the rocky, forested terrain as combing operation was on to track the ultras.
Sources in the state police headquarters said there were signs of the wounded being dragged, indicating casualties on the part of naxalites, but no bodies have been found so far.
It was for the first time in the last 15 years that polling stations were set up at Budhuan and Dhansa close to Rohtasgarh fort to enable the electors to cast their votes and the BSF contingent was stationed close by to instill confidence among them.
The police had launched a concerted move against the naxalites following their call for boycott of elections and destroyed their training camps in the forest close to Nakti village a couple of days ago. Today's attack could be in retaliation for that, sources said.
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