27 April,2023 08:14 AM IST | Dantewada | Agencies
Security personnel at the site of the blast in Dantewada on Wednesday. Pic/PTI
Ten police personnel and a driver were killed after Maoists blew up the vehicle in which they were traveling in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Wednesday, police said.
This was the biggest strike by the Maoists on the security forces in the state in the past two years.
The blast, carried out using an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), took place under Aranpur police station area around 1 pm when a team of the state police's District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Maoist operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P said.
DRG personnel are mostly recruited from the local tribal population and trained to combat Maoists.
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The area where the blast took place is around 450 km from state capital Raipur. TV visuals from a local news channel showed a huge crater, almost 10-feet deep, splitting the road at the site. The vehicle was completely destroyed.
The security personnel had set out from Dantewada district headquarters after getting information about the presence of Maoists belonging to the Darbha division in the area, the IGP said. When they were returning in a mini-goods van, Maoists blew it up between Aranpur and Sameli villages, he said.
As per the police, the 10 slain DRG personnel have been identified as Joga Sodhi, Munna Ram Kadti, Santosh Tamo, Dulgo Mandavi, Lakhmu Markam, Joga Kavasi, Hariram Mandavi, Raju Ram Kartam, Jairam Podiyam, Jagdish Kavasi. The deceased driver has been identified as Dhaniram Yadav, the police added.
Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the fight against Maoists was in its last phase, and the Naxals will not be spared under any circumstances. "We will work in a coordinated way and eliminate Maoists," he added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Baghel following the incident.
Narendra Modi
@narendramodiStrongly 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
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