Dantewada: In a dastardly assault that ended a long period of relative dormancy, Naxals deployed an improvised explosive device to target a returning patrol vehicle within Aranpur area on Wednesday afternoon resulting in the martyrdom of 11 security personnel – including the driver – on the spot and injuries to a hitherto-unspecified number in this highly restive district of Left-wing extremism-affected Bastar division.
Law-enforcement authorities confirmed that ambulances and a heavy force were rushed to the scene, which lies within a forest approximately 50 km from here.
The area where the blast took place is around 450 km from state capital Raipur. TV footage from the scene showed a huge crater, almost 10 feet deep, splitting the road at the site. The vehicle was completely destroyed in the attack.
The policemen belonged to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a special force of the Chhattisgarh police that comprises mostly local tribals who have been trained to combat Maoists.
The DRG has been instrumental in several successful operations against the rebels in Bastar, a hotbed of left-wing extremism.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel following the attack and assured all possible help.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, “Strongly condemn the attack on the Chhattisgarh police in Dantewada. I pay my tributes to the brave personnel we lost in the attack. Their sacrifice will always be remembered. My condolences to the bereaved families.”
Expressing grief over the loss of life in the ‘cowardly’ attack, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel told media representatives in Raipur, “The rebels are jittery as the conflict against them is in the final stage and they have been pushed onto the back foot. Therefore, the Maoists are making a desperate bid to register their presence. However, the counterinsurgency campaign shall be accelerated and the ultras will not be spared irrespective of the cost. Establishing peace in Bastar is my dispensation’s foremost objective. My thoughts are with the bereaved families.” With agency inputs
