Chhattisgarh Naxal attack : 3 CRPF personnel killed, 14 injured
The incident took place hours after a new security camp was established in the village, which is 616 kilometres from state capital Raipur. On Republic Day, the Indian Tricolour was hoisted for the first time in the Sukma-Bijapur area.
All the 14 injured security personnel were airlifted to Raipur for advanced treatment.
Three personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), including two from the specialised Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), were killed in an encounter with Maoists on the border of Sukma and Bijapur districts in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region. Tekulagudem village, where Tuesday’s encounter took place, was also the site of another encounter in 2021 that left 23 soldiers dead.
The incident took place hours after a new security camp was established in the village, which is 616 kilometres from state capital Raipur. On Republic Day, the Indian Tricolour was hoisted for the first time in the Sukma-Bijapur area.
After setting up the new camp, a joint team of the CoBRA, the Special Task Force (STF) and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) was conducting anti-Naxal operations in Jonaguda-Aliguda area when Maoists opened fire at the personnel, taking advantage of the forest cover.
The security personnel fired back, following which Maoists ran away and took cover in the forest. The injured personnel have been airlifted to Raipur for treatment. The three deceased were identified as constables Deven C and Pawan Kumar from the CoBRA 201 and constable Lambdhar Sinha from CRPF battalion 150. The CoBRA is a specialised force under the CRPF to combat extremists and insurgents in guerrilla/jungle warfare operations.
This is the first major Naxal attack under the new BJP government in the state.
Earlier this month, Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a review meeting with stakeholders in Raipur on Left Wing Extremism (LWE), where he said the Maoist menace should end in the next three years.
January has also seen five alleged Naxals, including two women, being killed in encounters in the state. A six-month-old girl had also died in cross-firing during an anti-Naxal operation.
Since November last year, nine new police camps have come up in Sukma and Bijapur districts.
During the state’s two-phase polls in November, members of the banned CPI(Maoist) had killed two security personnel and seriously injured another in three separate attacks using an IED, while the personnel were ferrying a polling party to a booth ahead of voting.
In 2022, 10 security personnel, 33 civilians and 32 Naxals were killed in Chhattisgarh. But the election year 2023 saw a sharp rise in the deaths of security personnel, with 24 casualties in the state. The deceased included an Army jawan who was on leave, visiting his home in Kanker. Further, 31 civilians and 23 alleged Naxals were also killed last year.
Source : The Indian Express
