VELLORE: Sri Lankan Tamil militants lodged at the police recruits school here made a second abortive attempt to escape around Jan 13 after one militant was killed in police firing following an earlier attempt.
Walter Dawaram inspector general of police armed forces and training who visited the school Monday told newsmen that the militants turned violent at around 1500 hrs. Sunday after a demand that they be given eggs was not complied with immediately. The militants housed in two batches joined together and used furniture and iron bars pulled from windows knives and kerosene in their attack against the police.
A sub-inspector was doused with kerosene and was about to be set ablaze when police who had earlier made a cane-charge and fired in the air fired at the violent militants Dawaram said
After one militant collapsed a sub-inspector and four other police personnel including two women constables were taken hostage by the militants but police rescued them. They have been hospitalized along with a militant who suffered bullet wounds.
As many as 161 LTTE militants lodged in Vellore have been arrested on charges of arson and assaulting of public servants. They were remanded to 15 days custody by a magistrate at Vellore before whom they were produced and later lodged in the Vellore central prison.
The situation at Vellore was well under control police said.
One militant was killed and another injured in police firing and several police personnel were injured when the militants attempted to escape Sunday.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 25, 1991
