Nayagarh:
A massive search operation involving the CRPF and the Indian Air Force is on in Orissa, after naxals killed 13 policemen and one civilian in a late night attack in Nayagarh town.
Six hundred CRPF personnel and two Indian Air Force helicopters have been deployed to track down the naxals.
There was an exchange of fire in Kandhmal as police confronted a group of naxals trying to escape through that district. The naxals managed to escape into the jungles.
After the daring attack, Orissa's border with Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand have been sealed.
Orissa's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Saturday that close to 500 armed naxals carried out the attack in Nayagarh.
Making a statement in the state assembly, Patnaik said that the security personnel were overwhelmed by the numerical strength of the armed naxals.
In the assembly however, the chief minister made no mention of whether there was any intelligence failure, which the opposition has been alleging.
He also confirmed that a number of weapons were looted by the naxals.
Reports indicate that a large number of armed Naxalites arrived in the town and caught a small force of policemen at the local police station completely unaware.
An unconfirmed report said three Naxalites were also killed in the exchange of firing.
The Naxalites also reportedly looted the Nayagarh district armory and the police training school and made away with large cache of arms and ammunition.
The attack was completely unexpected, as Nayagarh does not have any naxal presence.
The attack has given ammunition to the opposition with the assembly already in session. The government would have some serious explanations to do about why these 13 policemen had to die in an encounter and it seems to be an intelligence failure.
",Naxals made simultaneous attacks on Nayagargh station's police armory, police training school, and Nayagarh police station. There were 400 of them. Since their number was large, they overpowered our policemen,", said Rajesh Kumar, SSP, Nayagarh.
Eighteen districts of Orissa are affected by naxalism today and this is the third attack on police armory in Orissa. Yet, this attack seems to have taken the government by surprise, with Nayagarh being an extremely unlikely target.
Six hundred CRPF personnel and two Indian Air Force helicopters have been deployed to track down the naxals.
There was an exchange of fire in Kandhmal as police confronted a group of naxals trying to escape through that district. The naxals managed to escape into the jungles.
After the daring attack, Orissa's border with Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand have been sealed.
Orissa's Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said on Saturday that close to 500 armed naxals carried out the attack in Nayagarh.
Making a statement in the state assembly, Patnaik said that the security personnel were overwhelmed by the numerical strength of the armed naxals.
In the assembly however, the chief minister made no mention of whether there was any intelligence failure, which the opposition has been alleging.
He also confirmed that a number of weapons were looted by the naxals.
Reports indicate that a large number of armed Naxalites arrived in the town and caught a small force of policemen at the local police station completely unaware.
An unconfirmed report said three Naxalites were also killed in the exchange of firing.
The Naxalites also reportedly looted the Nayagarh district armory and the police training school and made away with large cache of arms and ammunition.
The attack was completely unexpected, as Nayagarh does not have any naxal presence.
The attack has given ammunition to the opposition with the assembly already in session. The government would have some serious explanations to do about why these 13 policemen had to die in an encounter and it seems to be an intelligence failure.
",Naxals made simultaneous attacks on Nayagargh station's police armory, police training school, and Nayagarh police station. There were 400 of them. Since their number was large, they overpowered our policemen,", said Rajesh Kumar, SSP, Nayagarh.
Eighteen districts of Orissa are affected by naxalism today and this is the third attack on police armory in Orissa. Yet, this attack seems to have taken the government by surprise, with Nayagarh being an extremely unlikely target.
