Naxals strike again in Dantewada, kill 3 CRPF men
Striking for the third time in two days, Naxals on Saturday morning killed three Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and injured three at Bhejji, in Naxal-dominated Konta block of Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district.
“A CRPF team was on an area domination mission. The Naxalites attacked them, leading to a retaliation by the security forces,” Inspector General of Police (Bastar range) T J Longkumer said.
Police said the incident took place at around 7.30 am at Bhejji police station where the CRPF personnel were deployed to inspect the construction of barracks. The existing CRPF camp is based in a school building. The Supreme Court has asked security forces to vacate all school buildings.
A team of 44 CRPF personnel led by Commandant Gulab Singh were near the police station when the Maoists opened fire. While six personnel were caught in the main ambush, other CRPF men engaged the rebels in an encounter for a few hours. Another group of rebels surrounded the Bhejji police station.
The Naxals also dug up the roads leading to the police station to prevent reinforcements from reaching the area.
While the police claimed there were casualties on the Naxals’ side, no body has been recovered so far.
The Maoists took away three weapons, including AK 47 assault rifles, bullet-proof jackets and wireless sets.
Later, the three injured and the bodies of the slain CRPF men — identified as Hassan Ansari (Koriya), Jogendra (Haryana) and Anjul (Maharashtra) — were brought to Jagdalpur, the divisional headquarters of Bastar. The injured were given first-aid at Jagdalpur before being taken to a hospital in the state capital.
Naxals strike again in Dantewada, kill 3 CRPF men - Indian Express