Two CRPF jawans were killed on Tuesday when suspected Maoists blew up their bullet-proof vehicle by triggering landmine blast at Murtanda in Chhattisgarh’s restive Bijapur district, even as at least nine Naxalites were gunned down in an encounter with police in the neighbouring district of Dantewada, reports reaching police headquarters here said.
Police sources said ultras detonated a powerful landmine targeting a CRPF vehicle, which was on its way back to Awapalli carrying its driver and a constable after dropping some jawans of 168 battalion of the CRPF at Timapur in Bijapur district.
Both the driver and the constable were killed on the spot.
The bullet-proof vehicle was thrown into air under the impact of the explosion and mangled. “Two CRPF jawans were killed in Maoist landmine blast. The bodies have been brought to Bijapur town by an Indian Air Force helicopter. They will be sent to their native places to hand them over to their respective families,” local additional superintendent of police Rajbhanu told this newspaper.
In another incident, at least nine ultras were killed in an encounter with security personnel in Jargunda jungles in Naxal-infested Dantewada district.
Acting on a tip off on presence of a large number of rebels in the forest, a search team of CRPF jawans, special police officers and district force of the Chhattisgarh police raided the area leading to a fierce gunbattle between the two sides. The encounter which began at around 9 am lasted nearly one hour, inflicting huge casualties among the ultras.
“Security personnel have recovered bodies of nine Naxals. We fear more casualties among the rebels. There were around 150 ultras. The security personnel surrounded them near School Para area inside the forest, sealing all their routes of escape. The police also recovered nine 12 bore rifles, explosives, wires and some bombs from the encounter site,” inspector-general of police (anti-Naxal operation) Pankaj Kumar told this newspaper.