Non-compliance of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in Naxal violence-affected areas today led to the death of two BSF troopers and a civilian driver in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.
Disappointed by the lax attitude of the force commanders on the ground, the Union Home Ministry and top paramilitary brass today pulled up the officers on the ground and issued a strong directive for "strict" compliance of rules framed for movement of paramilitary and police teams.
A Border Security Force (BSF) squad today became the victim of the Naxal's ambush when they were returning to their location in a civilian SUV after helping in the smooth conduct of the first phase of assembly polls in the district yesterday.
A fresh SOP was circulated in this regard to all forces and states by the MHA on October 7 specifically stating that troops while going for duties or coming out should totally shun the use of vehicles, the official said.
Vehicles should be used only when the road track is sanitised by an advance patrol party.
The troopers were returning after winding off their security deployment for polling in Sukma in south Bastar when a landmine blast took place between their two vehicles near Kerlapal camp.
The Naxals had triggered a blast on a road near Manjhipara and Badeshetti villages in the district and it is estimated that the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that belw off the vehcile was filled with 20kgs of explosive emulsions and was kept just beneath a culvert.
It was trigerred from a distance, the official said.
Disappointed by the lax attitude of the force commanders on the ground, the Union Home Ministry and top paramilitary brass today pulled up the officers on the ground and issued a strong directive for "strict" compliance of rules framed for movement of paramilitary and police teams.
A Border Security Force (BSF) squad today became the victim of the Naxal's ambush when they were returning to their location in a civilian SUV after helping in the smooth conduct of the first phase of assembly polls in the district yesterday.
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"After it was found that this squad took a vehicle in violation of laid-down SOPs, strict directions were issued again", a senior official said.
A fresh SOP was circulated in this regard to all forces and states by the MHA on October 7 specifically stating that troops while going for duties or coming out should totally shun the use of vehicles, the official said.
Vehicles should be used only when the road track is sanitised by an advance patrol party.
The troopers were returning after winding off their security deployment for polling in Sukma in south Bastar when a landmine blast took place between their two vehicles near Kerlapal camp.
The Naxals had triggered a blast on a road near Manjhipara and Badeshetti villages in the district and it is estimated that the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that belw off the vehcile was filled with 20kgs of explosive emulsions and was kept just beneath a culvert.
It was trigerred from a distance, the official said.