Bihar: SAP post withdrawn from Aurangabad after Maoist attack

The district police on Thursday, promptly withdrew the special auxiliary police (SAP) contingent of 30 personnel from the MBL construction site, the scene of a Maoist attack on Wednesday evening.

The reason behind the withdrawal was cited to be the the failure on the part of the private company to build boundary wall, pickets and watchtower and provide accommodation to SAP personnel, which resulted in Wednesday's incident. SAP was deputed on the directive of state police headquarters (SPH) at the site.

Aurangabad SP Daljeet Singh said he had served notice thrice to the construction company to construct a picket and boundary wall, but in vain. He also admitted, that the current contingent was dispatched from Nalanda to Aurangabad about a month ago.

There were also no sentry posts or barricades for SAP security at the base camp at the construction site, off Rafiganj-Goh main road near Jajapur village. It may be recalled, that the SAP was constituted by the state government to tackle organized crime and naxal activities.

There are, however, two companies of CRPF deployed 40 km away from the construction site. Singh said, all the three roads leading to the construction site were under Maoists clutches and they had installed can bombs to obstruct reinforcement.

A Kolkata based company was engaged in the construction of a road between Shivnagar and Baidrabad (NH-2 to NH-69).

Investigations revealed, PLGA activists wearing commando uniforms reached the base camp on four luxury vehicles and attacked the post with AK47's and hand grenades. Intelligence sources said, the CPI (Maoists) entered Goh locality from Gaya through Madanpur and Rafiganj police station area. They selected the timing between 6pm and 7.30pm when SAP jawans shuffled their duties.

The injured SAP jawans including Balbir Singh, Kartar Singh, Fimal Bhagat and Mangal Singh told police, that Maoists earlier shot them and later also treated them by putting bandaging the injuries, providing saline drips and injecting medicines. Police also recovered these medical aid from the site.

They said, the attackers forced their entry claiming to be commandos and first shot the sentries on gate duty. Another SAP jawan who tried to counter them also fell victim to their bullets.

The worser situation came when SAP jawans tried to rush their colleagues for medical assistance. Since there was not a single vehicle around, the injured were carried on jawans' back to the primary health center at a distance of about three kilometers.