11 CRPF men killed in NLFT ambush

AGARTALA, March 3: Militants of the outlawed National Liberation Front of Twipra (NLFT), in its first major strike this year, gunned down 11 CRPF personnel and two civilian drivers this morning at Daluma in South Tripura district. The militants also decamped with nine sophisticated weapons from the slain jawans and three jawans have been admitted in Udaipur hospital in a serious condition. Police said the jawans from 4th battalion CRPF stationed at Bampur, near Amarpur, had a tip-off that a gang of NLFT militants was moving in the area. Acting on this information, the jawans set off on five vehicle for Daluma on a special operation. At about 7.30 a.m.. when the CRPF vehicles were about two and half kilometres ahead of Daluma towards Ampi, the militants perched on roadside hill tops on both sides opened firing from automatic weapons at the last two vehicles. Unofficial sources said, they first targeted the civilian drivers sending the vehicles out of control, and at the same time, lobbed powerful grenades on the vehicles carrying CRPF jawans. It also learnt that the militants exploded land mines. 10 jawans and two civilian drivers were killed on the spot. The jawans from the first three vehicles which were moving ahead at once came back to the spot and retaliated. In the meantime, some ultras snatched away nine arms from the slain jawans while the encounter was taking place. The firearms looted by the militants included one LMG, four carbines and four SLRs This is one of the biggest cache of arms snatched by the militants till date in the State. It is not yet known whether any of the militants was killed or injured. However, police believe that at least two or three of the militants were injured, if not killed. While 10 jawans and two civilian drivers were killed on the spot, one jawan succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital. As soon as the news reached Agartala, IGP (law and order) K Saleem Ali rushed to Daluma along with reinforcement. A massive coordinated manhunt by Assam Rifles, CRPF, BSF, and Tripura police force has been launched under the IGP's supervision in the deep forest and terrain around Daluma. All possible routes of the militants' retreat were sealed and the security forces are trying to cordon off the whole area. This was the first major militant attack in Tripura by the NLFT militants after it had suffered severe setbacks, first from the stepped-up police actions and then from a vertical split in the organisation on ethnic lines. One of its top guerrilla leader Nayanbasi Jamatia had fled from the militants' hideout along with his Jamatia followers, alleging that the NLFT had turned into a Tripuri chauvinist organisation. Jamatia and his followers are trying to surrender before the security forces. On the other hand, the police actions with active support from the tribal villagers in which several NLFT collaborators and its local commanders were killed, virtually snapped its network in its stronghold. Moreover, the NLFT has also been facing opposition from its arch rival - the Tripura Tiger Force- and several intergroup gunbattles have been reported from different parts of the State. It is believed that in the wake of the NLFT split, the ATTF is trying to revive itself and gain stronghold in those areas where its rival organisation is holding sway. Three years ago in South Tripura District, the CRPF suffered a similar casualty when nine of its jawans were shot dead while returning from a combing operation at Chelagang area. Meanwhile, police exhumed three more human skeletons from Sungrungbari under RK Pur police station in South Tripura. The skeletons are believed to be persons who had been earlier kidnapped by militants and killed in captivity even after payment of a huge ransom. Two persons have been picked up in this regard. Acting on specific information Sub-Inspector of R K Pur police station, Jahar Debberma along with a posse, raided Koai and Nazira villages yesterday around 5 a.m., and detained two hardcore NLFT militants - Pushpa Jamatia (35) of Sungarungbari and Malabri Jamatia (18) of Dakmura. During interrogation, Pushpa Jamatia confessed to have killed three kidnapped persons including a woman, and dumped the bodies in Sungrungbari jungle. Based on his statement, police recovered the skeletons in the afternoon. With this recovery, 24 such mortal remains of hostages killed by militants have been recovered in the last seven months. Police have come to know of four more skeletons being kept in different places across the state. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar has condemned today's militant ambush on CRPF convoy. Sarkar in a statement here requested the Union government to augment the strength of Central security forces, particularly the Army, for intensifying counter-insurgency operations and ably guard the border. Referring to the ambush by suspected ATTF militants in which 13 persons, including 11 CRPF personnel, were killed the Chief Minister said it was a dastardly attack aimed at demoralising the security forces following the success in anti-insurgency operations.