Silda EFR camp attack: 13 of 23 convicted Maoists sentenced to life imprisonment

Kolkata, Feb 28 A court in West Bengal's West Midnapore on Wednesday sentenced, to life imprisonment, 13 out of 23 Maoists convicted for attacking a camp of the Eastern Frontier Rifles (EFR) at Silda in the district on February 15, 2010, leaving 24 security personnel dead.

The punishment for the remaining 10 convicts will be pronounced on Thursday.

The court had convicted the 23 accused on Tuesday. Initially, there were 24 accused on trial but prime accused and CPI-Maoist leader Sudip Chongdar had passed away.

Meanwhile, some human rights organisations like the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) have claimed that life imprisonment for these 13 "political prisoners" was based on false witness statements and politically motivated.

In the attack in February 2010, 24 EFR jawans were killed, while five Maoist guerrillas were also killed in retaliatory firing by the security forces. The left-wing extremists had also looted the armoury at the camp.

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