Prison van accident leaves one Naxal, 7 cops dead in Bihar
The prison van was carrying 12 policemen and two Naxals from Bhagalpur to Sitamarhi court.
Muzaffarpur/Patna, Apr 15: Seven policemen and a hardcore Naxal were killed when a prison van collided into a truck in Bihar's Sitamarhi district on Saturday.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Town), Ashish Anand told PTI the accident occurred near Gaighat village under the jurisdiction of Runnisaidpur police station around 5 AM.
The van was carrying two hardcore Naxals from Bhagalpur to Sitamarhi court, he said.
12 policemen were also in the van. One Naxal and seven policemen died after the accident, he said, adding another ultra and five other policemen were admitted to Sri Krishna Memorial College and Hospital.
The van driver, Munna Singh, was among the dead. The DSP said while four policemen died on the spot, the Naxal and three other policemen died on the way to the hospital. The DSP said all injured policemen and the seriously injured Naxal were later shifted to a private hospital.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed grief over the death of eight persons in the accident. Kumar announced Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia for family of the each deceased police personnel, an official statement said in Patna. The CM also directed officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured.
PTI