New Delhi: At least 10 personnel of the Chhattisgarh Police were killed and several others injured in a Maoist attack in the Aranpur area of Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, Wednesday afternoon.
Speaking to ThePrint, a police source said the van in which the personnel were traveling was blown up by an improvised explosive device (IED) concealed under the road. Altogether 11 people, including the driver of the vehicle, have died in the incident.
Among the 11 killed are Joga Sodhi, Munna Ram Kadti, Santosh Toma, Gullo Mandawi, Lakhmu Markam, Joga Kawasi, Hariram Mandwi, Rajuram Kartam, Jairam Podiyam and Jagdish Kawasi. The driver has been identified as Dhaniram Yadav.
The source added that the personnel belonged to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a state force designed to carry out anti-Maoist operations. The team was returning from one such operation when the attack took place, the source said.
“There were intelligence inputs about the presence of Maoists in the area following which they had gone for an operation early Monday. They had completed the operation and were on their way back. They had reached near Aranpur police station when there was a blast and the vehicle blew up,” the source added.
The source told ThePrint that the blast was of such intensity that it could be heard at the police station, which is about 1.5 km away from the spot.
According to the source, at least 11 personnel have died. The others are being treated but are said to be critical. “Eleven deaths have been confirmed, others have sustained severe burn wounds and are being treated,” the source added.
Meanwhile, speaking to media persons, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said, “It is very saddening. My condolences to the bereaved families. This fight is in its last stage. Naxals won’t be spared.”
Previous incidents
Incidents of security personnel getting killed in IED explosions have been on the rise since February this year.
On 25 February, three personnel from the DRG were killed in the Sukma district. Earlier in the same week, two were killed in Rajnandgaon and one in Dantewada, according to official data. Another 43-year-old member of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) was killed in an IED blast in the Orchha Development Block of Narayanpur the same week, the data shows.
According to police sources, the number of IED detections has also gone up in the last few months. The police, however, said that this was because of Maoists now getting “desperate”. “More detections are happening because we have increased operations in the areas and this is what is disturbing the Maoists,” a senior police officer told ThePrint Wednesday, on condition of anonymity.
(This is an updated version of the report)
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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