But it did not take much time to realise that we had encountered the hostile enemy and had to immediately take recourse to tactics if we were to survive. 

As the driver screamed, the Maoist sentry realized that it was the police which had reached the school in those early hours in that civilian vehicle, and taken by surprise he too probably got very afraid and instead of firing at us started running away from us inside the school to alert his companions. In no time, we jumped out of the vehicle and took cover under whatever seemed like a cover and the fire started from all sides virtually. A Maoist sleeping on the top of the school terrace started firing with automatic weapons to keep us under cover and to probably allow his cadres to escape. We took positions around the school boundary and started firing. Fire was coming from all sides since out of the about 50 Maoists in the village, about 25 had stayed in the school building for the night while the others were staying in different houses of the village and all simultaneously started firing randomly to confuse the police. As everyone got out of the vehicles to take cover, the vehicles were stranded on the only approach road at the locations where they stood at the time when the fire started. The vehicles behind in the carcade included the precious Anti Landmine vehicles which could hear the sounds of firing but could not proceed ahead to reinforce us due to the pathway being blocked with the stranded vehicles. There was almost a sort of total confusion for about 10 minutes with hundreds of rounds being fired from either side and as the Maoists were at times noticed escaping into the nearby forests starting just behind the school. 

To be continued......