Suspected Naxalites blew up a police truck using a landmine this morning in Chandauli district killing 19 policemen and escaped with their weapons. Alarmed by the second offensive by the Naxalites in what is called UP’s ‘Red Zone,’ Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav has offered to begin talks with them.The sale of tendu leaves has been the bone of contention between Naxalites and forest officials in Chaundali, Sonbhadra and Mirzapur on the borders of UP, MP and Bihar since 1996. Yesterday, Naxalites had attacked a forest department outpost at Majhgay village in Chandauli and killed two forest guards. A forest ranger and two other officials were also injured.IG (Varanasi Zone) Devraj Nagar told Express that three trucks carrying policemen of the 36th Provincial Armed Constabulary battalion were returning to their camp after patrolling the jungles in Chandauli around 7:15 am when the incident happened. The Naxalites had set up the explosive under the Narkati culvert. While two trucks managed to pass safely, the landmine went off as the third truck was passing the culvert. The dead included 13 PAC jawans and six constables. Six injured policemen have been rushed to a hospital in Sonbhadra.Sources say over 150 Naxalites were involved in the attack. Three additional PAC companies have now cordoned off the area. Police, meanwhile, maintain the accused have slipped into Bihar. ‘‘They were armed with weapons and it seems they would have fired at the police in case the bomb failed. They managed to escape with the police weapons as well,’’ senior police officials say. No Naxalite oufit has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
