Bhubaneswar, Damanjodi: The Orissa police have had better luck with the Naxals responsible for Sunday's attack on a Nalco mine. But there's been high collateral damage -- 11 CISF jawans died in this audacious attack which took place despite repeated threats.
So could it have been avoided?
In a remote corner of Orissa hundreds of special forces and two Air Force helicopters are hunting for Naxals.
About 200 of them overpowered the guards at the national Aluminium plant four to one.
This jawan was one of them. The Left-wing rebels attacked the jawans guarding NALCO's sprawling hilltop bauxite mine in Koraput district.
Their target was the CISF armoury which has weapons and powerful explosives. However, police say they failed to get away with anything.
They even laid mines -- as booby traps -- to stop outside help reaching the 40-odd jawans guarding the area. And blocked approach roads by felling trees to the NALCO plant.
In fact, intelligence inputs suggested the NALCO explosives depot was a probable Naxal target. But officials deny there was a security lapse.
"This is a setback for the security system at NALCO, we knew of the Maoist threat but for last 29 years it was well protected nothing unwanted had happened this is the first time," said C R Pradhan, CMD, NALCO.
This is the fourth Naxal attack on armouries in five years and two of these have happened just before the General elections, a trend that security forces have noted with great worry.