Chhattisgarh | Eight jawans among 9 killed as Naxalites blow up vehicle in Bijapur
The deceased belonged to the District Reserve Guard, a police unit set up to tackle Maoism; they were returning from Abujhmad region after killing five Naxalites
Eight jawans of District Reserve Guards (DRG) and a civilian driver were killed after Naxalites blew up their vehicle with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Monday (January 6), police said.
The incident took place near Ambeli village under Kutru police station when the security personnel were returning in their Scorpio vehicle after an anti-Naxalite operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P said.
Also read: Naxal leader Prabhakar Rao, carrying Rs 25 lakh bounty, arrested in Chhattisgarh
Massive explosion
The deafening blast created a massive crater on the road, indicating the intensity of the explosion. The dead belonged to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a specialised police unit set up to tackle Maoism in Chhattisgarh.
This is the biggest strike on security personnel by Naxalites in the last two years, an official said.
On April 26, 2023, 10 police personnel and a civilian driver were killed after Naxalites blew up their vehicle, which was part of a convoy carrying security personnel in neighbouring Dantewada district.
Five Naxalites killed
The DRG jawans were returning from the Abujhmad region after killing five Naxalites, including two women.
The gunfight broke out on Saturday evening at a forest in south Abujhmad along the border of Narayanpur and Dantewada districts when a joint team of security personnel was out on an anti-Naxalite operation, an official said.
Also read: Chhattisgarh: 10 Naxalites killed in encounter in Sukma district; 'era of peace returns', says CM
Automatic weapons such as AK-47 rifles were recovered at the spot where the Naxalites died.
The Naxalite attack comes amid recurring claims by authorities that the Naxalites were on the run in Chhattisgarh and that the rebels would be wiped out soon.
Meanwhile, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Arun Sao called the attack “cowardly”, saying that the sacrifice of the soldiers won’t go to waste. “Our government will fulfil its promise to make Bastar free from Naxalism by March 2026,” the Deputy CM said.
