In the biggest Naxal strikes in the country, the Left-wing extremists killed 76 jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and critically wounded eight others in the restive Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh today morning.
The rebels had meticulously planned the entire operation; inviting security personnel to walk into the trap laid on the Chintalnaar-Tademetla road, about 100 km from the district headquarters and some 540 km south of the state capital.
The Naxalites, who were reportedly 1,000 in number, had planted landmines and created temporary bunkers on the hilltops to easily target the jawans. The kaccha road where the incident took place had been surrounded by hilly terrains and dense forests.
“The incident took place at about 6 am, when rebels targeted the CRPF team that was led by a deputy commandant,” Inspector General of Police R K Vij said. The team comprising 81 jawans was returning to Chintalnaar after a three-day area domination operation.
The CRPF jawans did not get much time to take position and retaliate. The Naxalites opened indiscriminate fire from the bunkers located at strategic points and detonated a series of landmines.
Most of the jawans died of bullet injuries, Vij said, adding that soon after the information reached the nearest headquarters, reinforcement was sent from different directions. The rebels tried to ambush the troops, but failed to inflict any casualty.
The Naxalites, however, blew up a mine protective vehicle. Vij said since no jawan was on board, the blast could not wreak any casualty. Before the reinforcement reached the spot, the Naxalites had managed to withdraw into the forests.
“The bodies have been recovered and brought to Chintalnaar,” Vij said. Of the 81 jawans in the party, 76 were killed in the attack, while eight others were critically wounded. The victims belonged to the 62nd Battalion of the CRPF.
Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers were pressed into service to evacuate the injured jawans. Sources said the injured were admitted to the government hospital in Jagdalpur.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh convened a high-level meeting of officials to take stock. While senior CRPF officials from Delhi would be landing here to assess what went wrong, the state government had sought assistance from Andhra Pradesh’s Anti-Naxal Greyhound Force and Orissa’s Special Operation Group (SOG) to chase the rebels.
| BLOODSHED TIMELINE Major Naxal incidents in Chhattisgarh in the last one Year # April 10, 2009: Ten CRPF personnel, including a deputy commandant killed during an encounter with the Naxalites near Minta village under Chintagufa Police Station in Dantewada District. # April 16, 2009: Five poll officials, including a zonal officer identified as A K Acharya, were killed when Naxalites blew up a van ferrying election officials with a landmine blast at Phulwera village in Rajnandgaon District. # June 20, 2009: Twelve CRPF personnel killed in a landmine blast triggered by Naxalites in Tonagapal, Dantewada District, in the evening. About a dozen CRPF troopers sustained multiple injuries. # July 12, 2009: Naxalites killed 36 police personnel, including Superintendent of Police Vinod Kumar Choubey, in two incidents in Rajnandgaon District. # July 26-27, 2009: Five CRPF personnel, including a sub-inspector, killed and three others injured in a landmine explosion triggered by Naxalites in Dantewada District. # October 25, 2009: Four CISF personnel killed and two critically injured in a landmine blast triggered by Naxalites in a hilly terrain in Dantewada District. |
State Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar admitted some lapse had occurred on the part of security personnel that made them soft target. “After reviewing the situation, we can establish the lapses,” he said.
Experts said it was a big intelligence failure. “The rebels easily managed to plant landmines just few kilometres from Chintalnaar, while the intelligence wing failed to spot the movement of 1,000 Naxalites in the area,” they said.
Sources said that the rebel group that blew up 10 jawans of SOG in Koraput district of Orissa on Monday could be involved in the operation, as Chintalnaar was just 80 km from the rebels’ last strike.
