Kolkata, April 8
In two separate incidents, MCC guerrillas killed 28 policemen and kidnapped 41 police personnel after raiding a police post and attacking a mobile police party on duty. Unofficial sources, however, put the death figure at 35.
According to reports reaching the state police headquarter at Writers Builings here today, the first incident occurred around 2
pm yesterday, when two police vans, carrying over 20 policemen were moving towards Chibasa jungle in Singbhum near Purulia in south Bengal. The MCC guerrillas hiding in the jungle suddenly attacked them with firearms.
The police retaliated. Soon a gunbattle followed between the two parties which lasted about half an hour. The guerrillas blasted three landmines and fired indiscriminately from AK-47 rifles, killing seven policemen on the spot.
Five more were killed in landmine blasts. The police vans were burnt down.
Three MCC guerrillas were also killed in the encounter. But as soon as police reinforcement arrived on the spot, the MCC guerrillas escaped into the jungle.
All injured policemen were taken to hospitals at Purulia and Chibasa. Some succumbed to their injuries.
The second incident took place at Sukiapukri, Darjeeling, near the Indo-Nepal border at 3.30
pm when some gunmen carrying MCC flags and festoons suddenly attacked the local thana and gunned down sub-inspector P.K. Rai and constable Suresh Pradhan on duty.
They took away rifles and other firearms from the police station. There was no retaliation from the other side.
Later, the guerrillas looted Rs 12 lakh from the vault of the local branch of the Bank of Nepal at gunpoint as the
fear-stricken manager and other staff stood silent.
According to reports from across the Nepal border, the MCC guerrillas also attacked a police party at Pashupati Temple and kidnapped 26 policemen at gunpoint.
The North Bengal DG, Mr Balbir Singh, accompanied by the SP, Darjeeling, and a large contingent of paramilitary forces has rushed to Sukiapukri area, adjoining Pashupati.
