Two Jawans Killed, 5 Injured in IED Attack by Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur
The attack comes a month after 11 CRPF jawans were killed by naxal militants in Sukma on March 11.
Raipur, April 9: At least 2 security personnel were killed and five others injured in an attack carried out by naxals in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur region. The victims were rushed to the nearby local hospital.
Preliminary reports identified the deceased as jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force. The naxal militants perpetrated the attack using an improvised explosive device or the IED in Bijapur's Kutru.
The Maoist assault comes within a month after a similar IED attack by left-wing extremists claimed the lives of 11 CRPF jawans, apart from leaving 5 injured. The attack was carried out in the naxal hotbed of Sukma on March 11. The jawans killed were part of the CRPF's 219th battalion, which is especially designated to counter the insurgency in Chhattisgarh region.
Following the assault, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had assured a further crackdown on the naxal militants in the region.
Despite the recent casualties inflicted by the naxalites, analysts claim the left-wing extremists have been logistically weakened across Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
According to an IndiaSpend report of October 2017, the scale of Maoist violence has fallen by nearly 53 per cent in the past 6 years.
In a review meeting reportedly held by the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in January 2017, it conceded the "setback" to its operations over the past couple of years. Al the 16 Maoist strongholds across the nation have been "weakened", said the statement issued by the banned outfit.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 09, 2018 04:17 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).