Chhattisgarh: Eight Security Personnel and Driver Perish in Maoist Bomb Attack
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Dantewada, Jan 6 (NationPress) In a horrific Maoist assault as the New Year commenced, eight members of the District Reserve Guard alongside their driver were killed on Monday after insurgents detonated explosives against their vehicle in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, leaving a seven-foot-deep crater in its wake.
The remnants of the vehicle were scattered across the explosion site, with some parts found lodged in nearby trees, according to reports.
The nine individuals were traveling through Kutra in the Bastar region in an SUV when the incident occurred around 2:15 PM on Monday, sources noted.
Inspector General of Police for Bastar, Sundarraj Pattilingam, stated that the IED explosion specifically targeted the jawans as they were returning to their camp after completing an operation.
This attack comes shortly after Union Home Minister Amit Shah pledged that security forces are determined to eradicate Maoism by March 2026.
The Union Home Minister expressed his condolences regarding the attack. "I am profoundly saddened by the loss of DRG soldiers in an IED explosion in Bijapur (Chhattisgarh). I extend my deepest sympathies to the families of these courageous soldiers. Though words cannot encapsulate this sorrow, I assure you that their sacrifices will not be in vain. We will eliminate Naxalism from Indian soil by March 2026," he wrote in a post on X.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai also denounced the explosion, labeling it a heinous and tragic event.
“I assure you that the sacrifices of our soldiers will not go in vain. The government is fully committed to the elimination of Naxalism (Maoism)," he stated while honoring the fallen security personnel.
Previously, on Sunday, security forces engaged Maoists in the Abujhmad region of Chhattisgarh, resulting in the death of five insurgents, including two women.
Automatic firearms, including AK-47s and Self-Loading Rifles, were seized during this operation, from which the jawans were returning when they were ambushed by the rebels.
The rise in violence since Saturday led to the death of a jawan in the Bastar region.
District Reserve Guard Head Constable Sannu Karam lost his life in an encounter that erupted on Saturday evening in a forested area of south Abujhmad.
This confrontation began when a joint team of security personnel was conducting an anti-Maoist mission, according to officials.
