Chhattisgarh CM Baghel holds high-level meet, to pay homage to personnel killed in Dantewada
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and state Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu will on Thursday pay homage to the 10 personnel in Dantewada, who were killed after a Naxal attack on Wednesday.
Baghel on Wednesday also held a high-level meeting in Raipur, to review the situation in Dantewada following the attack.
During the meeting, also attended by the Sahu, the CM reviewed various aspects linked to the latest attack, the public relations department official told PTI. Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain, Director General of Police Ashok Juneja, Secretary to CM Ankit Anand and Inspector General (Intelligence) Ajay Yadav, among others, were present, he said.
Expressing grief over the loss of lives, Chief Minister Baghel told reporters earlier on Wednesday that the fight against Naxalism was in its last phase, and the Maoists would not be spared under any circumstances.
“We will work in a coordinated way and eliminate Naxalism,” asserted the Congress leader.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also condemned the attack.
“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,” Modi tweeted.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke to Baghel following the incident.
“Anguished by the cowardly attack on the Chhattisgarh police at Dantewada. Have spoken to Chhattisgarh’s Chief Minister and assured all possible assistance to the state government. My condolences to the bereaved family members of the martyred Jawans,” Shah tweeted.
Meanwhile, Baghel, who was scheduled to leave for poll-bound Karnataka on Wednesday evening to campaign for his party, cancelled his visit.
WHAT HAPPENED IN DANTEWADA
Ten police personnel and a civilian driver were killed after Naxals blew up a vehicle that was part of a convoy carrying security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Wednesday.
This was the biggest strike by the Maoists on the security forces in the state in the last two years.
The blast, carried out using an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) containing an estimated 40 kg of explosive material, took place under the Aranpur police station area between 1 pm to 1:30 pm when a team of the state police’s District Reserve Guard (DRG) was out on an anti-Naxal operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P told PTI.
DRG personnel are mostly recruited from the local tribal population and trained to combat the Maoists. Sometimes surrendered Maoists are also recruited into the DRG.
The area where the blast took place is around 450 km from the state capital Raipur.
The Multi-Utility Vehicle (MUV) carrying ten DRG jawans was blown up between Aranpur and Sameli villages, the IGP said.
All ten jawans and the civilian driver of the vehicle were killed on the spot, he added.
The MUV had been rented by security personnel, said another official.
Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the bodies of the deceased were brought to Dantewada, the IGP said.
Security personnel have launched a search operation in the area, he added.
Another senior police official posted in Dantewada said that around 200 security personnel had set out from Dantewada district headquarters on Tuesday night after getting information about the presence of Maoists belonging to the Darbha division in the area.
The deceased were identified as head constables Joga Sodi, Munna Ram Kadti, Santosh Tamo, constables Dulgo Mandavi, Lakhmu Markam, Joga Kawasi, Hariram Mandavi, and ‘secret police’ Raju Ram Kartam, Jairam Podiyam and Jagdish Kawasi.
The driver was identified as Dhaniram Yadav.
Most of the victims were residents of Dantewada district.
On Wednesday morning, there was an exchange of fire between the patrolling team and Naxals near Nahadi village, around seven km from Aranpur, following which two suspected Naxals were held, he told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
Subsequently, security personnel were returning to their base in a convoy of vehicles, he said.
There was a gap of around 100-150 meters between vehicles and the Naxals targeted the second vehicle in the convoy, he said.
After the blast, the security personnel in the leading and following vehicles took positions and opened fire on both sides of the jungle, the official said.
During a search of the spot, around 150 meter-long wire connected to the trigger of the command IED was recovered, the official said, adding that it seems that around 40 kg of explosive material was used.