Maoists admit loss of 5 members in EFR's Shilda camp attack

For the first time since the Maoist attack on EFR's Shilda camp in West Bengal's West Midnapore district that left 24 jawans dead, the rebels today admitted that they had also lost five of their members in the strike.

"We will observe a statewide remembrance day on February 25 in memory of our five comrades, killed in the Shilda camp attack on February 15," a Maoist spokesman told PTI from an undisclosed location on condition of anonymity.

Besides killing 24 jawans, the Maoist also looted arms and set tents on afire. There were total 41 jawans in the camp when the attack took place.

The spokesman also claimed responsibility for the killing of people at Jamui village in Bihar. "The reactionaries killed
eight of our comrades and in retaliation we killed 10 of them," he said.

"If there is a rule of law, it should be applied to all people and not the Maoists only. It was because of the inaction of the administration that we had to take arms in our hands," the spokesman said.

The Maoists would continue an 'Operation Peace Hunt' as long as the "oppressive" 'Operation Green Hunt' continued.