In Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, Naxals launched a devastating attack on security forces. Among the fallen were 8 personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and a civilian driver. They were en route back from an anti-Naxal operation when their vehicle was targeted. Following the attack, a forensic team from NIA's Raipur branch is arriving in Bijapur to probe the site.
Reports indicate that a vehicle laden with an IED exploded near the security personnel’s vehicle. The blast was so powerful that it created a large crater on the road and disintegrated the vehicle into pieces. Videos from the scene reveal shattered debris scattered around. The Scorpio in which the soldiers were traveling was completely destroyed by fire.
Korsa Budhram, Somdu Ventil, Dumma Madkam, Baman Sodhi, Harish Korram, Pandru Poyam, Sudarshan Vetti, Subhanath Yadav
This terrifying explosion was so intense that debris from the vehicle was found hanging on nearby trees. The vehicle was utterly demolished, and parts such as the steering wheel were strewn about the incident site. The attack also led to the recovery of the soldiers' weapons, which were entirely destroyed. This blast occurred on the Bedre-Kutru road in Bijapur district around 2:15 PM.
Return from a Three-Day Operation
Bastar Range IG Sundarraj P stated that the DRG personnel were returning from an operation when the attack occurred. He elaborated that for the past three days, security forces had been conducting operations in the border areas of Bijapur, Narayanpur, and Dantewada, resulting in the elimination of five Maoists, whose bodies were also retrieved. During the encounters, another soldier became a martyr.
The IG mentioned that the personnel had completed their search operation and were heading back when the IED, planted by Maoists near Ambeli village in the Bedre-Kutru region of Bijapur, exploded, resulting in the martyrdom of 8 DRG soldiers and a driver. All the bodies of the martyred soldiers have been recovered from the site.
Biggest Naxal Attack in Two Years
An official disclosed that this is the most significant attack on security personnel by Naxals in the past two years. Previously, on April 26, 2023, Naxals targeted a convoy carrying security personnel in the neighboring district of Dantewada in Bijapur, leading to the deaths of ten police officers and a civilian driver.
