Nine jawans killed in Sukma Maoist attack

New Delhi: At least nine personnel of the 212 battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed in a powerful IED blast by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Tuesday.  According to officials, an encounter broke out between the jawans and the Maoists around 8 am. 

This contingent was later targeted by the rebels around 12.30 pm along Kistaram-Palodi road when the personnel were conducting an area-domination operation. The mine-protected vehicle (MPV) was blown up by multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs) concealed under the dirt track, a senior official said. Following the incident, reinforcements were rushed to the spot and the injured personnel were airlifted to a government hospital in Raipur.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to salute the CRPF personnel who were martyred in the attack. Chief Minister Raman Singh condemned the “cowardly and shameful” attack and said the rebels were afraid that development works would put an end to their activities. 

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also condemned the attack and described the incident as “deeply distressing”. Last April, in the biggest Maoist attack on CRPF personnel in Chhattisgarh in the last seven years, 25 jawans were killed and six injured in an ambush in the Burkapal area of Sukma.