Kathmandu, April 12
Thousands of Nepalese Maoist rebels killed 84 policemen in night-time raids today that left more than 100 persons dead and marked a bloody escalation of their six-year-old insurgency, officials said.

In the deadliest attacks since February, the guerrillas raided two police stations in the jungle district of Dang, about 450 km southwest of Kathmandu.

“Nearly 3,000 rebels suddenly attacked two police posts at the Satbaria and Lamahi areas in Dang district late last night,” a senior Home Ministry official said.

Srinagar, April 12
At least two CRPF jawans were killed and 11 others injured when militants attacked a CRPF mess and a police station in the city today.

An official spokesman said suspected militants fired a rifle grenade towards the CRPF mess at Karan Nagar here at around 10.30 a.m. The grenade exploded inside the mess causing injuries to six CRPF personnel of which one died on way to the hospital.

A search operation was immediately launched in the area by the security forces soon after the attack.

However, official sources later said two CRPF jawans were killed on the spot and 11 others wounded in the blast. The other injured jawan died at a hospital in Soura.

Meanwhile, militants also hurled a hand grenade at Shaheed Gunj police station here this afternoon which injured a police official.

The police here said three militants of the Jaish-e-Mohammad outfit were killed in an encounter with the security forces at Gungabugh in the Lolab area of Kupwara district in north Kashmir yesterday. The encounter ensued when a search party of the security forces was fired upon by the hiding militants yesterday.

One militant of Jaish-e-Mohammad was killed in another encounter with the security forces in Kokernag area of Anantnag district, police here said.

The police averted a major tragedy with the detection of an IED fitted in a TV picture tube at Awantipora in Pulwama district of south Kashmir yesterday. The IED was defused without causing any damage.