9 Killed As Naxals Blast Security Personnel’s Vehicle In Chhattisgarh

Raipur: Eight jawans of District Reserve Guards (DRG) and a civilian driver were killed after Naxals blew up their vehicle with an improvised explosive device (IED) in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Monday, police said.

The incident took place near Ambeli village under Kutru police station when the security personnel were returning in their Scorpio vehicle after an anti-Naxalite operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P was quoted news agency PTI as saying.

The DRG is a unit of the state police.

“Nine people – eight Dantewada DRG jawans and one driver, lost their lives after their vehicle was blown up by naxals through an IED blast, in Bijapur. They were returning after a joint operation of Dantewada, Narayanpur and Bijapur,” news agency ANI quoted IG Bastar as saying.

The incident comes days after an encounter broke out between the security forces and Naxals in Bastar, in which five ultras were killed. Four Naxalites were found dead initially on Sunday (December 5), while one more body was recovered later. A DRG head constable was also killed in the gunfight.

Last year, 219 Naxalites were neutralised by security forces in separate encounters in the state, according to police.