Mistake led to medical blast

Maoists today said they blew up a doctor, nurse and their driver in Belpahari by mistake, thinking that the victims’ red-cross-tagged vehicle was a police Trojan horse.

A statement by Kanchan, the secretary of the CPI (Maoist) Bengal chapter, said: “We had wrong information that policemen were patrolling in a hired Tata Sumo bearing a red cross. Our action squad thought the police were trying to hoodwink them by using a medical vehicle.”

The statement said the outfit always welcomed health workers who helped the poor. “We want to assure health workers that such an incident will not recur,” Kanchan said.

However, Kuldeep Singh, inspector-general (western range), said: “We are convinced they knew who they were attacking…. When police or other vehicles go, they watch and enquire about the occupants.”

The police are also probing if the Maoists had any grudge against any of the victims. “We are trying to find out if the doctor had refused to treat an injured Maoist or the driver refused to give them his car,” an officer said.

The police have arrested five persons allegedly associated with the Maoists. Two were identified as Ashok Karmakar, 32, from Shankhabhanga, and Bishu Singh, 40, of Simulpal.

The police said the arrested had links with the Maoists who put together the milk-can bombs that blew up the medical team vehicle in West Midnapore. “Ashok provided food and shelter to Maoists who attended a meeting at Shankhabhanga on the night of October 19. Bishu also had links with the guerrillas,” said West Midnapore superintendent of police Rajesh Kumar Singh.

The government today made an exception to the policy of compensating only families of slain policemen.

Chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb said the families of doctor Dhaniram Mandi, nurse Bharati Majhi and driver Pranay Mishir would get Rs 2 lakh each. “Also, a family member of the doctor and the nurse will be given jobs,” Deb said.

“I don’t know why the Maoists picked on my husband. He dedicated his life to the treatment of poor people. Six days in a week, he went to villages to treat them. My four-and-half-year-old son and I are left without any support,” said Aparna, Mandi’s wife.