In a tragic incident in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, 8 brave members of the state's police unit lost their lives in an IED blast orchestrated by Naxalites. These martyrs were part of the District Reserve Guard (DRG), who were targeted while returning from an anti-Naxal operation. Initially created specifically to conduct operations against Naxalites, the DRG was formed by the state police when the Chhattisgarh government decided that existing security forces were insufficient to eradicate Maoists.
The then Chhattisgarh government resolved to build a force from within the ranks of the Naxalites themselves, enlisting individuals who were intimately familiar with Naxalite tactics and structure. This strategic choice was made to dismantle the pervasive network of Naxalites, who at that time had a foothold in nearly every community, with immediate access to information and resources.
Fallen DRG Heroes -
Korsal Budhram, Somdu Ventil, Dumma Madkam, Baman Sodhi, Harish Korram, Pendur Poiam, Sudarshan Vetti, Subranath Yadav.
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The Formation of DRG in 2008
Naxalites were adept at executing large-scale attacks and evading capture. To counter this, the government established the District Reserve Guard (DRG), first formed in 2008 in Narayanpur. Subsequently, more recruits were inducted in 2008, with the last recruitment drive taking place in 2013 at Sukma Dantewada and Bijapur.
Remarkably, the DRG recruits local youth familiar with the native language and geography, making them uniquely qualified for this challenging work. Moreover, former Naxalites who have surrendered are often recruited into the DRG, contributing their insider knowledge of Naxalite strategies. Presently, approximately 2,000 DRG personnel continuously scour the forests for Maoists, ready to stand on the front lines during any confrontation.
DRG Soldiers Were Returning from an Anti-Naxal Operation
Concerning the recent attack in Bijapur, Bastar Range's IG P Sunderraj shared, "For the last 3 days, an anti-Naxal campaign has been ongoing in the Narayanpur district, Dantewada, and Bijapur areas. During this operation, we recovered the bodies of 5 Naxalites, but sadly, one of our personnel also fell. As the team was heading back, the Naxalites launched an IED blast in the Ambeli region of Bijapur. This heinous attack took the lives of 8 DRG personnel from Dantewada and a driver..."
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An official noted that this attack marks the largest assault on security personnel by Naxalites in the past two years. Previously, on April 26, 2023, Naxalites targeted a convoy carrying security personnel in Dantewada district, resulting in the explosion of a vehicle that killed ten police officers and one civilian driver.
