Monday, November 14 2005 18:57 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: The Bihar government constituted a two-member administrative panel today (Nov 14, 2005) to probe last night's (Nov 13, 2005) naxalite attack in Jehanabad which left 12 dead; four killed during the operation and eight slaughtered after being kidnapped.

Home Secretary H C Sirohi told sources that V Jaishanker, Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the Water Resources department and A C Verma, IG (Railways) would hold the inquiry and submit a report in a week.

The panel will probe whether there was a loophole in the security apparatus as IG (Operations) R R Verma had provided the IG of Central Zone A S Nimbran and Superintendent of Police of Jehanabad Sunil Kumar with intelligence inputs on movements of hardcore naxalites in their area at 3:00 pm yesterday.

"The panel will go into every aspect, including whether there was any administrative failure," Sirohi said

The CPI (Maoist) guerrillas launched simultaneous attacks on the jail and police lines located in the heart of the town around 9 pm, Superintendent of Police Sunil Kumar said.

The entire area reverberated with sounds of gunfire, which continued for about two hours as police engaged the naxalites in an encounter.

State's Home Secretary H C Sirohi claimed in Patna that the attempt by the underground militants to loot the armory in the police lines was foiled.

Contingents of special taskforce of Bihar Police and central para-military forces have been rushed to Jehanabad from Patna and Gaya districts but their advance is slow due to the apprehension that naxalites might have 'heavily mined' the roads leading to the south Bihar town.