The Hindu : Front Page : Two tribals killed in firing

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Thursday, Feb 14, 2008
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Two tribals killed in firing

Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD: At least two tribals were killed and three injured when police opened fire on a group of “militant tribals” who had allegedly attacked the Vajepura range forest office in Antarsumba village in Vijaynagar taluka of Sabarkantha district in north Gujarat on Wednesday.

According to the Sabarkantha district police superintendent, R.B. Brahmbhatt, a group of about 4,000 “militant tribals” had attacked the range forest office and manhandled the forest officers. Mr Brahmbhatt said the attack was to obtain the release of five tribals who were picked up by the forest department officials earlier in the day.

He claimed that the police tried to reason with the attacking mob and when they found them unrelenting, first burst about 20 teargas shells and later opened 25 rounds of fire to disperse the mob.

However, Mr Madhusudan Mistry, the Congress member of the Lok Sabha from Sabarkantha, and other local Congress leaders who visited the spot, rubbished the police version. He described the firing as a “cold blooded murder, akin to the fake encounters of the alleged terrorists by the police chief D.G. Vanzara.”

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