Security personnel inspect the site of an IED blast where nine CRPF personnel were killed in an encounter
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The actual target of Tuesday’s Maoists attack was the district superintendent of police and the Maoists blew up the anti-landmine vehicle presuming the officer was travelling in it, police officials said on Wednesday.
”The main target was SP Sukma Abhishek Meena and ASP Suman Saurabh. Both had a narrow escape as they had passed by the same spot just 10 minutes earlier. They (Maoists) thought the SP would be in the heavy vehicle hence they targeted it,” said Inspector General of Police .
There were 10 CRPF jawans in the anti-landmine vehicle. Three of them were returning from leave and were going to camp while the others were returning from patrol on Tuesday.
Police officials claimed that the attack was planned and executed by 26-year-old Maoist commander and his team. 26-year-old Maoist commander was also reported to be behind the April 2017 attack in which 25 CRPF troopers were killed and dozen others injured.
“This is the main area of the battalion headed by 26-year-old Maoist commander and they want to target something big to stop the road construction work going on in the area. They are rattled because road connectivity is enabling the forces to enter the core area of Maoists activities ,” The IG said.
At ground zero, the impact of the mine blast and then attacks by Lathod guns were visible even 24 hours after the attack. The mangled remains of the vehicle was still smouldering on Wednesday afternoon and the pieces of the debris could be found nearly 100 meters away from the blast crater.
Police said the Maoists had planned the operation meticulously to cause maximum casualties.
Soon after the mine blast ripped apart the vehicle, the Maoists closed in on the spot and started firing on the surviving troopers from behind the cover of trees, the police said.
“There were more than 150 Maoists and it seems that they had planned this ambush about a week ago. Over 50 kilograms of explosives were planted and triggered by a remote device. They had made markings on the trees to accurately target the vehicle and were also perched on tree tops,” said a CRPF officer involved in collecting evidences from the spot and did not wish to be named.
The CRPF officials said the Maoists wanted to send two signals through this attack. First, that they still dominate the area despite the CRPF camp set up in a small tribal village , where the
Maoists had organised a women’s day function in 2015. Second, that they will not allow road construction in the area as the road on which the attack happened was being meant to provide better connectivity for the forces.
On Wednesday morning more than 500 personnel of the CRPF and district police cordoned off the whole area and started combing operations with the help of drone cameras.
“We have detained more than a dozen people in connection with the attack and their interrogation is going on,” the IG said.
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The Intelligence Bureau, in the first week of March, had sent an advisory to the security forces in region, warning them of a possible attack on the road where nine CRPF men were killed in a blast on Tuesday.
This input specifically mentioned battalion one of The People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) planning a major assault in south region. PLGA is the armed wing of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
While agencies regularly dispatch inputs on Maoist movement and communication to concerned authorities, officials from the CRPF and ministry of home affairs believe Tuesday’s attack, besides being a retaliation to sustained counter insurgency operations tri junction Inter state, was part of a new strategy of Maoists’ tactical counter offensive campaign or TCOC.
A senior paramilitary officer said under the TCOC, left-wing insurgents tend to carry out attacks between April and July every year. “One of the reasons for this is increased visibility in forest areas after the winters. However, in meetings convened by senior Maoist leaders, it has been decided that the TCOC will be carried out from January to June,” the officer said.
Officials also believe that over 150 armed cadres of PLGA were involved in a major gun battle with security forces the same morning and
a small contingent of the Maoist group planted the 80-100kg improvised explosive device (IED) that claimed the lives of nine CRPF troopers.
“While the CRPF sent an advisory three weeks ago warning of an attack, the IB too communicated to the troops to be prepared for a Maoist ambush,” said a senior government official on the condition of anonymity.
Government on Wednesday named a senior IAS official to inquire into circumstances leading to
deaths of 11 persons in an attack by Maoists.
Meanwhile a report said
heavy rains had completely doused the fire after efforts to contain its spread using water dumped by helicopters had come to nought.
The inquiry officer has been tasked with submitting a report to the government within two months, along with recommendations to avoid such incidents in future, a March 13 Government Order said.
25 women and three children, who later met atop the hills.
On 11 March, while returning to plains, heavy firing engulfed the hills, killing 11 of them.
Over a dozen persons, including three children, who sustained burns,were rescued by personnel of multiple agencies like commandos, police, fire and rescue and forest personnel.
Four IAF helicopters were used for the rescue operations.
After the mishap, Chief Minister said a probe would be held into the incident and said the adivasis had not taken permission to climb up the hills to protect themselves from Maoists.
