Hatidoba (Belpahari), Nov. 21: Hours after the train compartment was ripped apart in north Bengal, another bunch of extremists struck in distant West Midnapore, trying to blow off a commando team with a remote-controlled device.

A state armed police jawan, who was on leave, and two local government employees were among five people held.

On the Belpahari-Barikul Road, young Roshan Tamang from Darjeeling bore the brunt of the blast, being flung several feet away. He is now fighting for life in hospital.

As he lay on the road, about 235 km from Calcutta, the jawans who had received commando training to combat Maoists recovered from the shock and called a police camp at Tarafeni — 3 km away.

Three jawans picked up Roshan, 20, and started running to get him to the nearest hospital in Belpahari, 6 km away.

The others began combing the area.

West Midnapore superintendent of police R. Rajsekharan said: “The jawans were on a long-range patrol.”

Police sources said Ananda Hembram, 19, who belongs to the 13th battalion of the armed police, has been detained. Suman Mahato, 35, and Rajiv Mahato, 23, both employees of a public health engineering department pumping station at Tarafeni, and farmer Biswanath Ahir have been arrested. Mantu Ahir, a farmer who apparently saw the guerrillas flee, has also been detained.

“We suspect the rebels mingled with farmers while fleeing,” a police officer said.

The district police chief was questioning those held till late tonight.

The jawans found a wire snaking into the hill beside the road for about 25 yards. “The explosive was detonated from there,” said one of them.

“The explosion occurred around 8.10 am. Roshan and two other jawans were flung to the ground. Roshan was badly hit by splinters while the others escaped with minor bruises,” the jawan added.

Senior police officers are camping in the area.

Exactly two months ago, bomb disposal squad members Utpal Bhakta and Basudeb Chakraborty were killed while trying to defuse an improvised explosive device with a hammer and a chisel at nearby Lalgarh.