“The Kashi Vishwanath train, which passes at around 2.20 am, had left and I was lying in the cabin when suddenly I heard a rapid burst of gunfire. There was the sound of crackers earlier but this was gunfire,” said Kailash, the railway gateman posted at the cabin.

Kailash said he was scared and could think of “nothing else but to escape through a window into the adjoining thicket.” However, the jawans, who were posted there were easy targets — several bullet marks on the railway cabin and blood stains on the road showed how little resistance was offered. Police officials said one of the intruders could have “perched himself in the cabin” and provided cover for the others to sneak through the gate.

Intermittent firing was heard later in the day as state police, assisted by the CRPF, conducted combing operations in the area surrounded by sugarcane plantations.

Five security personnel — three CRPF jawans and one each from state police and home guards — were injured in the gunbattle. Two militants were injured in the exchange of fire, said Inspector-General of Police, Bareilly zone, Gurbachan Lal.

Within hours of the attack, the state-Centre blame game began. In a hurriedly called press conference at which Chief Minister Mayawati and state police DGP Bikram Singh were present, Mayawati said that the CRPF was to blame.

“There were inputs that there was the possibility of a terror attack and all the information had been passed on to CRPF. Even at a recent meeting, security was reviewed and CRPF asked for two things. They wanted increased patrolling and asked us to ensure that the main gate not be used as a thoroughfare. We accepted both the demands. The CRPF jawans were, however, unprepared and were warming themselves by the fire. The militants managed to sneak in and hurl a grenade which killed two more men. After that, they even managed to fire in two control rooms and killed more jawans,” said Lal.

... contd.