Over 100 Naxals today ambushed a team of security forces in Chhattisgarh's tribal belt of Bastar on the eve of Lok Sabha polls, killing three commandos of CRPF's CoBRA battalion and injuring five others including two officers in twin attacks.
In the first incident in Sukma district, Naxals opened heavy fire on a patrol of the specialised anti-Naxal operations force CoBRA that was coming back from Burkapal after escorting poll officials to the Maoist stronghold for tomorrow's polls in Bastar.
"The incident occurred in Chintagufa police station limits when the security forces were returning after dropping a polling party at its destination this morning," Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Neeraj Chandrakar told PTI.
Officials said a strong squad of about 100 Naxals surrounded the party from three sides, leading to the killing of three commandos while three others, including a Deputy Commandant rank officer were injured.
"The troops were hit on the back," a senior official said.
A joint "cordon and search" operation of CRPF and state police was launched to track the Maoists.
The slain commandos have been identified as Chandrakant Ghosh, Narshimha and Ranbir S and the injured DC as R K Singh. All the troops belong to the 206 CoBRA battalion based in Jagdalpur.
"We are alive to every possibility and we will conduct the polls peacefully," a senior security official monitoring the security forces deployment in Delhi said.
