CALCUTTA: One of the three Suspected Punjab militants who gunned down seven people in West Bengals Purulia district Jan 9 was killed in an encounter with police Jan 10 police said.
The three men carrying sophisticated assault rifles were engaged in shootouts with the police since Wednesday evening. A revolver snatched from a state police officer was recovered from the deceased.
Bajpai said all escape routes to adjoining districts and the neighboring state of Bihar had been sealed to prevent the other two men from fleeing.
The militants had taken shelter under a culvert when the vehicle in which they were traveling developed a snag at Joypur about two kms from Jhalda on the Bengal Bihar border. They were soon surrounded by police personnel and intermittent exchange of fire continued between them and the policemen till Thursday morning.
Police said a massive search was on to track down the other two meanwhile chief minister Jyoti Basu Wednesday ruled out the possibility of seeking the assistance of the army.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 18, 1991
