Fidayeen attack kills 8 at CRPF camp
Year 2008 began on an ominous note for the Manmohan Singh government when, in a daring pre-dawn attack, heavily-armed terrorists, suspected to be belonging to the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba.
By TNN |
NEW DELHI: Year 2008 began on an ominous note for the Manmohan Singh government when, in a daring pre-dawn attack, heavily-armed terrorists, suspected to be belonging to the Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, stormed a CRPF recruitment centre at Rampur in the Rohillakhand region of Uttar Pradesh, killing eight persons, including seven jawans and a civilian, injuring several others.
This is the first time a fortified security installation had been attacked outside the state of Jammu and Kashmir, making it clear that the terror outfits have been emboldened enough to widen the reach of their depredation. It also showed that Uttar Pradesh has become a fertile ground for the jehadi groups. Districts falling along the Indo-Nepal border were found to be home to many sleeper cells, and the banned fundamentalist organisation, SIMI, was reported to have built a formidable network across the state. The development so alarmed Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati that even she was constrained to raise the warning bell for the Centre.
After Varanasi (twice), Ayodhya, Faizabad, Azamgarh and Lucknow, Rampur is the latest town in Uttar Pradesh to have been singled out by the terror outfits for their attack, making the northern state a soft and vulnerable target.
The latest terror attack carried out in the heart of Uttar Pradesh is certain to strengthen the opposition BJP’s claim that the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, with its soft-on-terror approach, had simply failed on the internal security front.
Armed with AK-47 rifles and grenades, a group of four militants attacked the CRPF troops centre at around 2.20 am, a CRPF spokesperson said. One of the four militants entered the camp hurling grenades and firing indiscriminately, he said, adding the rest of the terrorists stayed behind and escaped after some time.
Security personnel and police patrolling the area intercepted the attackers, leading to a fierce gunbattle, in which seven CRPF personnel and a civilian were killed. The spokesperson said the militant, who entered the camp, was believed to be holed up inside the premises and efforts were on to locate him.
Additional Director General (Law and Order) Brij Lal, while providing details about the attack, said the militants opened fire killing, two CRPF men, and hurled grenades while entering the group centre.
In the firing inside the premises, five CRPF jawans, who were sleeping, were killed, he said.
Fortunately for the force, Gate No 2, where a large number of arms and ammunition had been stockpiled, were not attacked, he said, adding the entire area has been cordoned off.
“A detailed report has been sought about the facts and circumstances of the incident and concerned authorities have been asked to take immediate and effective measures to identity and trace the culprits and bring them to book,” Mr Patil said in a statement.
This is the first time a fortified security installation had been attacked outside the state of Jammu and Kashmir, making it clear that the terror outfits have been emboldened enough to widen the reach of their depredation. It also showed that Uttar Pradesh has become a fertile ground for the jehadi groups. Districts falling along the Indo-Nepal border were found to be home to many sleeper cells, and the banned fundamentalist organisation, SIMI, was reported to have built a formidable network across the state. The development so alarmed Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati that even she was constrained to raise the warning bell for the Centre.
After Varanasi (twice), Ayodhya, Faizabad, Azamgarh and Lucknow, Rampur is the latest town in Uttar Pradesh to have been singled out by the terror outfits for their attack, making the northern state a soft and vulnerable target.
The latest terror attack carried out in the heart of Uttar Pradesh is certain to strengthen the opposition BJP’s claim that the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, with its soft-on-terror approach, had simply failed on the internal security front.
Armed with AK-47 rifles and grenades, a group of four militants attacked the CRPF troops centre at around 2.20 am, a CRPF spokesperson said. One of the four militants entered the camp hurling grenades and firing indiscriminately, he said, adding the rest of the terrorists stayed behind and escaped after some time.
Security personnel and police patrolling the area intercepted the attackers, leading to a fierce gunbattle, in which seven CRPF personnel and a civilian were killed. The spokesperson said the militant, who entered the camp, was believed to be holed up inside the premises and efforts were on to locate him.
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Five personnel, including three CRPF jawans, and one each from state police and home guards, were injured in the gunbattle. The civilian who was caught in the crossfire appeared to be a rickshaw puller, Rampur senior superintendent of police Sanjiv Gupta later told newspersons.Additional Director General (Law and Order) Brij Lal, while providing details about the attack, said the militants opened fire killing, two CRPF men, and hurled grenades while entering the group centre.
In the firing inside the premises, five CRPF jawans, who were sleeping, were killed, he said.
Fortunately for the force, Gate No 2, where a large number of arms and ammunition had been stockpiled, were not attacked, he said, adding the entire area has been cordoned off.
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Acting on the reports about the attack, the Union home ministry later in the day sought a detailed report from the Uttar Pradesh government on the militant strike. Strongly condemning the attack, Union home minister Shivraj Patil said the MHA was in touch with the state government and CRPF authorities.“A detailed report has been sought about the facts and circumstances of the incident and concerned authorities have been asked to take immediate and effective measures to identity and trace the culprits and bring them to book,” Mr Patil said in a statement.
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Central security agencies later claimed that they had warned the CRPF and the Uttar Pradesh Police about the possibility of a suicide attack at their recruitment centres by Pakistan-based terror group, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba.Download
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