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73 killed as Maoists ambush CRPF team

Dreams and lives lost: He said Jai Hind, and the phone went dead ...After the deadly attack on CRPF, here are stories of men who had dreams – for their parents, family and village. All of that in tatters now. Some even desperately tried to say a few words as they were ambushed and dying. Here are stories of brave men and how their ambitions would never come true.

Wounded and dying, Constable Mallick wanted to talk to his wife

Bhubaneswar: Around 7 am on Tuesday, Constable Hrusikesh Mallick called up his wife Ahalyarani at their home in Brundabanpur village of Jajpur district. When she didn't pick up her mobile phone, he called up his nephew in Bhubaneswar and told him to let Ahalyarani know he had called.

It was much later that the nephew would realise why Mallick was so insistent. The family believes the constable with the CRPF's 62nd battalion may have been breathing his last, surrounded by Naxals, when he made the call. "After telling the nephew to inform Ahalyarani, he said `Jai Hind'. The call then went dead," says Mallick's younger brother Pitabas.

Mallick was the sole bread-earner of his large family of 14, and leaves behind wife, a 14-year old son and two daughters, aged 7 and 11. A Dalit and son of daily labourers, he endured difficult times to make it to the CRPF in 1994, having started out as a homeguard in Orissa Police with a measly salary.

He and Constable Jagneswar Nayak, 27, of Panisala village in the tribal-dominated Mayurbhanj district were among the two CRPF personnel from Orissa killed in the Dantewada attack. Long after the incident, their families had no inkling of what had happened.

"Though we knew that he was posted in Chhattisgarh, he never told us about his operation in Dantewada. After we heard about the attack, a cousin of mine working in CRPF in Jammu and Kashmir told us about my brother's possible death. But even then we did not know for sure," says Nayak's younger brother Sibakar.

When The Indian Express correspondent called up, Nayak's wife of two years, Shantilata, and his farmer parents were in a state of shock. The Constable has a one-year-old daughter, who was inconsolable.

Nayak, who joined the force in 2001, last visited his wife and parents 20 days ago and was supposed to come home in May this year. Even the local CRPF office in Bhubaneswar did not have proper information about the deaths as well as the contact details of the jawans till this afternoon. It was local politicians who first broke the news of Mallick's death to his family in Brundabanpur.

Hassan called to say he was dying and helpless

New Delhi: On Tuesday morning, just moments after he had been shot at, CRPF Head Constable Ali Hassan called up his wife to tell her to take care of herself and of their three young daughters. He also spoke briefly to his 80-year-old father, informing him of the incident and telling him that they were ambushed and there was no help available. "The phone got disconnected soon after and for the next three hours we kept calling him, but it went unanswered," says wife Tasleen Bano.

Hassan, 38, who was killed in the Dantewada Naxal attack on Tuesday, had incidentally "volunteered" to be a part of the operation against the Naxalites. "He said he wanted to climb up the hierarchial ladder in the CRPF with his work," says Tasleen.

A resident of Khatola village near Shahpur in Muzaffarnagar district, Hassan was supposed to come home three days from now, to help his father at the time of harvest on their modest farm. He last visited home five months back.

This is the second time in the past one year that tragedy has struck Hassan's family. Earlier last year, his three-year-old son Shahnawaz had died after he fell off the terrace of their house while playing with his siblings.

"When he called on Tuesday, he told my father he was injured badly and might not survive. He said the Naxals had ambushed them and there was no help available," Hassan's elder brother Taj Mohammed says. "We immediately called up Brij Mohan, the DIG of his battalion. He told us he was trying to get help."
Hassan's mother hasn't spoken a word since the news came, while Tasleen hasn't stopped crying. "I do not know what I will tell his daughters when I return with Hassan's body," Taj says.

His daughters Raviya, Saviya and Naziya are aged 9, 7 and 4.
Family members say Hassan was always the brave one among his five brothers. "Since childhood, he dreamed of making it big," Taj Mohammed recalls. "He wanted to make his country proud. That is why he chose not to be a farmer like the rest of us."

Sopan's parents were to celebrate his wedding, but ended up waiting for his body
Mumbai: For the Amble family in Jalgaon, Tuesday was a busy day -- they had finally got the first draft of the wedding card of their son, Sopan. His father wanted Sopan's name and his designation -wireless operator -- written in bold. His mother wanted their family deity mentioned in both the pages, and his two brothers wanted the name of their late sister Asha mentioned in the card. On Wednesday morning, the family received a call saying that Sopan, 24, had died in the jungles of Dantewada.

Having joined the CRPF in 2004, Sopan was posted as a wireless operator in Chhattisgarh. His first stint was in Jammu and Kashmir.

"When we spoke about the wedding details this week on the phone, he had said that he will come home on the morning of May 14, just in time for the wedding," says elder brother Ashok. Father Kautik, a caterer, was excited that his son's wedding would have "simple but good food especially prepared by him", adds Ashok.

Sopan's last visit to his home in Wadali Wadala, Chalisgaon in Jalgaon, was in February. His sister had been detected with a serious liver infection, with remote chances of survival.

Sopan and his brothers took Asha to Mumbai's KEM Hospital where she breathed her last. "He was a man of few words and did not show much emotion, but he was the most hurt at Asha's death. At home, he never discussed work, but we knew that he was pas sionate about his job," says Ashok.

"All of us assist our father in his catering business. But he never showed interest in this business and wanted to join the Army. After he cleared his HSC exam, he applied and got selected for a job in the CRPF. Last year, he applied for a special training for the job of a wireless operator. He was clear about his priorities and duty always came first for him," says Ashok.

First the phone went dead, then came terrible news

Jhunjhunu: Rukmini Meena has been unconscious for over a day now and is lying in a hospital near Papurna village in Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district. Doctors are not sure when she will recover.

It was early on Tuesday morning that the 26-year-old was told of her husband Assistant Commandant Bajrang Meena's death in the Naxal attack in Dantewada. Bajrang Meena, 32, was second-in-command of the company that was ambushed in Chhattisgarh.

Since she got the news, Rukmini hasn't spoken or stirred. Aunts and relatives are looking after her two-and-half-year-old daughter Ria.

"She had spoken to Bajrangji only on Monday night, at around 8 pm. He had returned to Dantewada 15 days ago after a vacation here. He told her that he was involved in an operation and would speak to her the next morning," said Rukmini's brother Om Prakash.

But the next morning had TV channels reporting the Naxals staging their deadliest attack till date, striking men of the 62nd Battalion of the CRPF. Rukmini immediately knew something was wrong. y "She tried calling his number repeatedly, but no one picked up. Later that morning, a CRPF man called back," Om Prakash said. She was told Meena was among those killed in the attack, and that his s body had not yet been found. "My sister fell unconscious."

Bajrang's brother Kailash Meena (46), a Head Constable with the Jaipur city police, is inconsolable.

"He was the youngest brother of four and the brightest. Our father died when we were young and I saved every paisa of my constable salary to educate Bajrang. We were so proud when he became an officer. Now all that is shattered," Kailash said.

Over 1000 naxals plan a deadly strike and the intelligence did not know?
In Lakhu, 30 km away from Jhunjhunu, is another bereaved family, that of Meena's commanding officer, Deputy Commandant Satyavan Singh Yadav (46). Like Meena, Yadav hailed from a forces family -- brother Sumer (56) had retired as a CRPF commandant. Yadav was the family hero. He had served in the Special Protection Group (SPG) with all Prime Ministers, from Rajiv Gandhi to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and was promoted only six months ago.

The youngest of five brothers, he left behind wife Rajbala and two sons, Nitin (16) and Sanjeet (22). "We found out at 10 am. I know several people serving in Dantewada. I spoke to him only three days ago when he said he was leading an operation into Naxal territory," Sumer said. Both Papurna and Lakhu villages pride themselves on the fact that most of their families have at least one member serving in the forces. And on the fact that residents have given their lives in almost every war post-Independence.

But these are deaths they can't comprehend or accept. "Yeh to dhokha hai (this is treachery)," says Meena's brother Badri. "He was not fighting an external enemy but his own countrymen who killed him. How can his death be justified? In this area, most families send one member to the forces. But if our sons, fathers and brothers have to die fighting Naxals in poor conditions, we will stop sending our people," Sumer said.

"The government dithers on policy, saying this one day and something else the next. And the CRPF means a hard life... how can the government not know about an ambush planned by more than a thousand Naxals? How?" Sumer asked.


The only person not to know of Vinod's death is his wife

Lucknow: The only person in Manikapur village in Sultanpur who does not know about the death of CRPF jawan Vinod Kumar in the Dantewada Maoist attack is his wife Savitri Devi. Four months pregnant, she had a miscarriage early this morning after staying up the whole night to hear about him.

"I don't how to tell her. She has had a miscarriage and undergone surgery," said Vinod's younger brother Ajay Kumar who had to rush Savitri to a hospital 15 km from their village on his motorcycle because no four-wheeler was available at that hour.

A policeman brought the news about 30-year-old Vinod's death to the house a little later.

The family heard on the radio in the evening about the Dantewada attack on CRPF personnel. Vinod was posted in Dantewada, and they spent all of the night hoping and praying.

"We tried to contact Vinod on his cellphone several times, but it was switched off," said Vinod's father Dev Narayan. "I tried my best to contact officials in Lucknow but had no luck. Someone told me that the jawans of his company were attacked. But there was no word about Vinod."

After spending an anxious night, Savitri suffered a miscarriage. Then the policeman came with the news.

"I have told Ajay not to tell Savitri. Let her be alright and return home," said Dev Narayan. Vinod and Savitri, who got married in 1991, have two children, Rasha (5) and Abhishek (3). Vinod had last called the family on the Monday evening, saying his unit was going out on an operation that could last three days. He also said he would not be carrying his cellphone, but would call them after returning from the operation, said Dev Narayan.

A graduate, Vinod joined the CRPF in 2006. His elder brother Suresh Kumar works in a private firm, while Ajay is doing his graduation.

The village was all praise for Dev Narayan who ensured all his sons got a good education. "Vinod was a symbol of the aspirations for our young men," said gram pradhan Kalawati.
Sanctioned leave, Vinod was to come home in May. The family would have seen him for the first time in six months. But that was never to be.








Narendra Singh had big plans, but now he will never be backMahmadnpur, Ghaziabad: Narendra Singh was supposed to come home on April 20. When the 28-year-old CRPF Constable spoke to his younger brother Zile Singh three days ago, he had told him about his plans to make their brick house better. He wanted to put up a big entrance gate, make some portions of the house pucca and also get the broken music system repaired.

On Tuesday, the family lost Narendra, and with him the hope of a future.

A day after, at his home in Mahmadpur village, Narendra's father Dhan Singh lay on a charpoy surrounded by his neighbours.

All he could say was that when he spoke to his son last, he had rebuked him for not taking care of his health.

Mother Barfi Devi is still to believe that her elder son is dead. "Call Narendra, I want to speak to him," she was telling visitors.
Narendra's wife Saroj was too shocked to talk. They have a one-year-old son, Kunal.

Zile Singh said Narendra wanted to study further. "My brother could not complete his MA final year from Rana Degree College as he was selected in CRPF in 2002. But he wanted to study more and had to appear for a B.Ed entrance test this month. I never knew it was t our last talk."

The villagers, too, remembered Narendra as someone who was keen on education. "The father is a labourer and the brother a high school passout. He was the only one who pursued education. Whenever he would see children playing in the village, he would advise them to take their studies seriously," said Mukesh, a villager.

Narendra always took care that his family did now about the serious nature of his work.

"He never used to discuss his posting with the family members. He only once said that he was tensed and feared he would not return home. We could never understand his life was in danger," said Zile Singh.




Khalil Khan saw death coming
Fazalgarh, Ghaziabad: Khalil Khan told his family members it was a battle for survival in Dantewada every single day. The family members of the 28-year-old CRPF Constable said he had a premonition that the Chhattisgarh posting would be his last.

Elder brother Rahisuddin recalled how Khalil escaped Naxalites last time when he came out for a visit home.

"He told us he along with his friends paid Rs 10,000 to an auto driver to take them to the city. They knew that Naxalites would kill them if their identities were revealed. The fear came true. Naxalites stopped their auto for 12 hours and released them only when the driver assured the rebels that they were locals," Rahisuddin said.

The family last spoke to him 15 days ago. "I could feel the fear in his voice. He told me that surviving in the area was becoming impossible. He said he was counting days and was not sure when he could fall prey to the Naxalites. He also told us there were no facilities for them for self defence," informed Salim, a relative who broke the news of his death to the family.

Since early Wednesday, Khalil's kuccha house in Fazalgarh village, Ghaziabad, saw a line of villagers paying condolences.

His father Fakhruddin, a carpenter, recalled how his son made him proud when he joined the CRPF in 2002 from Rampur. "He said he will not do any other job. He was adamant on joining the security forces. He was our only hope," Fakhruddin said. He slammed the government for not doing enough for the security forces. "They (CRPF personnel) do not even have basic facilities," said the father.
Khalil is survived by his wife and two children.

Source: The Indian Express

:cry:

Stories of brave men fighting for this country. Thanks for sharing.

These Maoists will pay drastically for their deeds.
 
Dreams and lives lost: He said Jai Hind, and the phone went dead After the deadly attack on CRPF, here are stories of men who had dreams – for their parents, family and village. All of that in tatters now. Some even desperately tried to say a few words as they were ambushed and dying. Here are stories of brave men and how their ambitions would never come true.

:cry:

Thank you for the stories of these brave mens lives. It is easy to imagine those we fight as different from us some how evil or cruel. They are husbands fathers and sons and my thoughts and prayers go out to them and their families .
 
My condolences for these folks, I hope the government takes care of their family, we have been very very bad in this regard. I feel there should be a dedicated department to make sure that families of Jawans are taken care of, I feel not only they should be compensated, Job should be given to kin but also they should get 1 Jawan for once a week or month to do things for them.
 
GoI is badly agitated because of this act, Several officials want IA to take over this operation with heavy and aggressive assistance from IAF.

Home ministry's concern is that in such operations human rights gets breached; this can hamper the image of IA. They still feels that Naxals are not that big threat :hitwall: :hitwall:
 
Govt's new anti-Naxal strategy: use of UAVs

New Delhi: Forty-eight hours after one of the worst attacks against Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh, CNN IBN has learnt that the Home Ministry will approach the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) soon with a new anti-Naxal strategy.

The Home Ministry has requested the Defence Ministry to lend them two unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs controlled by trained Air Force personnel for their anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh.

Since Home Minister P Chidambaram is aware of a possible resistance from some of his colleagues, he would specifically ask for aircraft including bulletproof choppers for defensive operations like evacuation, logistical support, search activities and movement of forces.

However, the request is still pending with the Defence Ministry.

Sources say Defence Minister AK Antony does not want to employ military resources against own people. The Defence Ministry is making it clear that the aircraft and drones will be used only for defensive operations, such as rescue, search and surveillance and cannot be used for offensive operations.

There is still no clarity if the Air Force personnel manning the helicopters can fire back in self defence if they are fired upon while engaging in defensive operations

There is also strong criticism of the air chief and the army chief who have argued that there is not much scope for the military to become involved in the operation against the Maoists.

Chattisgarh CM Raman Singh said, "It is not right for the Chief of Army or Air force to come out and speak separately. The PM should formulate a policy against Naxals and it should be communicated as a policy."

It is also learnt from sources that one of the demands of the CRPF contingent was to be airlifted; however, this didn't happen in time.

Already the government has instituted a probe into Tuesday's massacre.

"We have taken a decision to institute an inquiry into what went wrong and there will be a very short time frame for the inquiry to submit its report and when the report is submitted then we will look into it," said Chidambaram.

The final decision will be taken by the cabinet committee on security

One of the proposals also made is that the aircraft can be flown by CRPF and other security forces and not Indian Air Force pilots.
 
India weighs up military response after Maoist massacre
By Pratap Chakravarty


The deadliest ever attack by Maoists could spark a military response that experts fear would only lead to more violence

The massacre of 76 Indian policemen by Maoists in the deadliest ever attack by the left-wing rebels could spark a military response that experts fear would only lead to more violence.

The government has vowed to avenge Tuesday’s annihilation of a police platoon in Chhattisgarh state and for the first time hinted it may consider using the military against the increasingly lethal insurgency. “At present there is no mandate to use the air force but if necessary we will have to re-visit the mandate and make some changes,” Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced, grim-faced after meeting surviving policemen.India used its military against Sikh guerrillas in Punjab state in the 1980s and until recently combat troops patrolled in Kashmir, but it always avoided using such force against the Maoists, who are active across the north and east.

Now the Chhattisgarh massacre has tested patience to the limit. It was the sixth in a series of attacks by the outlawed Maoists that have left nearly 250 men in uniform dead since March 2007. “If India uses the military then a lesser number of security personnel will die,” said Deepankar Banerjee, director of the Delhi-based Institute of Peace and Conflict, a privately run think-tank.

“But civilian casualties will be three to five times more than those dying today and this scale of violence will increase and compound the problem,” predicted Banerjee, a former army major general. The insurgency, which started as a peasant uprising in 1967, has been identified by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the number one threat to India’s internal security. India’s million-plus military is divided on the tactics to be used against the Maoists, who in the past three years have assassinated an MP, staged a mass prison break for 300 of their jailed comrades and held entire trains hostage.

The Counter-terrorism and Jungle Warfare College, which is backed by the defence ministry, has called for the maximum use of force against the rebels, whose strength is variously estimated at between 10,000 and 20,000. “These insurgents will come to talks only if their military arm is twisted,” college director Basant Kumar Ponwar told AFP, but he warned New Delhi must find other strategies to win over populations in Maoist-affected regions. In contrast, the Indian air force, which refuses to install weapons on helicopters that ferry injured policemen, has urged the government to keep the military out of the conflict. “The military — the army, navy and air force — are trained for lethal operations; maximum lethality,” air force chief P.V. Naik said, opposing military strikes against the elusive Maoists. “The weapons we have are meant for the enemy across the border,” he said. “For the present moment, we must leave it to the paramilitary forces because they are trained to undertake these operations.” afp

Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
 
Thank you for the stories of these brave mens lives. It is easy to imagine those we fight as different from us some how evil or cruel.



Who are those we fight that you are referring to? The maoists? Or are you speaking on their behalf about the security forces.


They are husbands fathers and sons and my thoughts and prayers go out to them and their families .

Go out to whom? Please clarify. I hope it was a mistake because otherwise this looks suspiciously like it's written on behalf of the maoists and you consider yourself one of them.
 
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I accept full responsibility for Dantewada: Chidambaram - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday accepted "full responsibility" for the Dantewada massacre of a CRPF contingent by Naxalites and said the "buck stops at my desk".

"I have been asked directly or indirectly where the buck stops after the attack. The buck stops at my desk," he said at a CRPF function here.

Chidambaram said after his return here from Dantewada in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, a day after the massacre of 75 CRPF men and a state policeman in the Naxal strike, he had given it in writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that "I accept full responsibility".

He did not go any further, saying, "Let me not elaborate."

Addressing the 'Shourya Diwas' (valour day) of CRPF, Chidambaram lauded the sacrifices of the paramilitary force and said the government was trying to ensure that personnel from it were well-paid, well-housed and well-equipped.

He also said his Ministry will ensure that the families of slain jawans received compensation by the end of this month and one member from each of them got a job.

Noting that the government will always stand by the security forces, the Home Minister said they performed duties so that people could live in freedom, liberty and democracy.

"I am proud of the innumerable duties the CRPF is called upon to perform. I salute all those who laid down their lives and my heart goes out to their families," Chidambaram said.
 
Army chief cites 'internal defeciencies', wants CRPF training upgrade
In first remarks on the Dantewada Maoist attack on CRPF personnel, Army Chief General V K Singh said there appeared to be internal deficiencies in the training pattern of the personnel and remedial measures were being suggested to the Home Ministry.

"There were internal deficiencies in what happened there, in training and other things. They are analyzing it," General Singh said, pointing out that the 62nd Battalion that was targeted had not been trained by the Army.

A series of high-level meetings involving top military leaders were held at South Block today by Defence Minister A K Antony following a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security.

"There are certain problem areas in training. At times we don't get a homogenous entity for training. This means the entire company does not come for training. In the Army, we do it as a complete setup, right from officers to down below. That's why the performance is that much better," Singh said, adding that more than 39,000 police and paramilitary personnel have been trained by the Army.

Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, while announcing a time-bound inquiry into the Dantewada attack, ruled out any direct Central role in tackling the Maoists, indicating that the onus was on the states since law and order is a state subject.

"Our role from day one is to only assist the state governments," he told reporters following a meeting of the CCS.

"We will provide paramilitary forces to state governments to regain territory lost to Maoists so that the state governments can then restore the democratic process and institutions in those areas," he said.

Indian Express
 
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The amry is in, and if action taken more problems will come for India
 
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Now, they are making politcial....
Two groups will rise up one who are MAO supporters and other are GOV supporters.
Looks fire will burn more...........
 
Around 6 a.m. a team of 120 personnel of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was getting ready in their camp for breakfast when they got an urgent message about a possible Maoist conclave in Tadmetla area of Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh in central India.

The men of the 62nd battalion had gone just a few kilometres when multiple blasts rocked the convoy and tossed their armoured vehicles into the air as simultaneously over 700 Maoist fighters opened indiscriminate fire from a hilltop.
It was a flash attack...

Dead bodies of paramilitary soldiers at Chintanar in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday after a Maoists' attack. 'It was a flash attack, we were just enjoying travelling on a hilly stretch when something thundered. When I realised what it was, I saw scores of my colleagues were in a pool of blood. I immediately understood everything as the Maoists were spraying bullets on us,' Ramesh, a CRPF cop who survived and was airlifted to Raipur's Ram Krishna Care Hospital from the battle site with multiple blast injuries, told IANS.


'It was a terrible scene, body parts were seen lying at the attack site, I don't know how I survived because there was no escape route and gun shots were coming in from all directions,' he said. He added: 'I never dreamt of such a deadly ambush.' He informed that personnel of the 62nd battalion were on an 'area domination mission' in Dantewada as a part of the ongoing offensive against Maoists.
 
That wont solve the problem. This game of seek and hide can not eleminate the Naxals movement.

The solution is in the hands of Indian govt. Listen to their problems and solve them.

Urbanisation is good but not at the cost of your people

demand of naxals is simple.

"Armed strugle till the parliamentary system taken over by a communist system"
 
One thing For Sure the Govt. is in action and this moiast problem will be solved, just as LTTE problem was. The Bigger threat comes form Fire Buring Accross the Border, as ideologically it involves the whole nation as it is religion bases and it could spill over here after BURUNING them to Ashes!

Mzubair Rightly said the fire will rise and all maoists will burn, but what we have to prepare ourselves is when our neighbor's whose house is on fire gets burnt out, and their religious fire tries to cross the border. That will a Big Challenge!
 
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