Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Jan 6: Nine people including eight police personnel and the driver of the vehicle were killed when a group of Naxalites blew up a police using an improvised explosive device (IED) in Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh on Monday.
They were returning from an operation when the IED blew up the Scorpio SUV at Kutru in the Bastar region around 2.15 pm, according to police. All eight DRG jawans travelling in the SUV and the driver of the vehicle were killed on the spot, the official added.
The DRG is a unit of the state police and its personnel are mostly recruited from local tribal population and also from surrendered Naxalites. The blast occurred on the Bedre-Kutru Road in Bijapur district. Two Scorpio vehicles carrying at least 20 soldiers who were returning from an anti-Naxal operation conducted on Sunday when the IED exploded.
Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the bodies of the deceased were being evacuated, he said. A search operation has been launched in the area by security forces, the IPS officer informed.
The blast site is around 400 km from State capital Raipur. Visuals from the spot showed a huge crater, more than 10-feet deep, splitting the concrete road after the blast. The vehicle was completely destroyed in the explosion while dismembered bodies were seen placed on plastic sheets. A part of the bonnet of the exploded vehicle was seen hanging on a nearby tree.
Earlier in the day, security forces attacked Maoists in the Abujhmad region of Chhattisgarh and killed five rebels, including two women. Automatic weapons such as AK 47 and Self-Loading Rifles have been recovered. It was this operation that the jawans were returning from when the rebels targeted them.
The eight security personnel belonged to the District Reserve Guard, a specialised police unit set up to tackle Maoism in the state. Visuals showed a massive crater at the spot, suggesting the intensity of the IED blast that killed the jawans. The Maoist attack comes against the backdrop of security forces making deep inroads into the Maoist-dominated areas of Chhattisgarh and cornering the rebels.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai condemned the blast and described it as a “heinous” and “tragic” incident. “This incident is extremely unfortunate. I pay tribute to the brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives and express my heartfelt condolences to their families. A thorough investigation and assessment of this attack are underway,” he said.
“Naxalites are frustrated with the ongoing anti-Naxal operation in Bastar and have committed such cowardly act out of frustration. The martyrdom of the soldiers will not go in vain. Our fight to end the menace will continue strongly,” he added.
The Chief Minister said the Union Home Minister Amit Shah has resolved to eliminate Maoism from the country by March 2026. “I am confident that by then, even the five Naxal-affected districts of Bastar will be free from Naxalism, and peace will be restored,” the Chief Minister said.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar, Sundarraj Pattilingam said the IED blast targeted the jawans when they were returning to the camp after the operation. “For the past two-three days, we were carrying out operations in the area. Five Maoists and a security personnel were killed in this operation. Security personnel were returning to the base camp after the operation when one vehicle was blown up in an IED blast. We will share detailed information after examining the blast site,” the senior officer said.
According to sources, the blast site suggests that the Maoists used a foxhole technique for the explosion, the sources said. In this technique, Maoists dig holes and fill them up with stones. These holes are not detected during anti-mine operations. When Maoists intend to execute a blast, they place explosives in these holes and trigger an explosion.
Sources also said DRG personnel usually travel on foot or bikes, raising concerns about whether there was a violation of the Standard Operating Procedure in this case.
The anti-Naxal operation took place in the South Abujhmad forest area in the Narayanpur-Dantewada district border of Chhattisgarh, said IG Bastar. It was conducted by the STF in coordination with DRG teams from Narayanpur, Dantewada, Jagdalpur and Kondagaon districts.
Earlier on Friday, at least three Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Kandeshar village in Chhattisgarh’s Gariaband district. Weapons were also recovered from the encounter site.
In the past, numerous attacks have taken place on security forces in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, comprising seven districts including Dantewada, using IEDs.
In the last major assault, ten police personnel and a civilian driver were killed after Naxals blew up their vehicle, part of a convoy carrying security personnel in neighbouring Dantewada district, on April 26, 2023.