Maoists ambush police party in Chhattisgarh, three killed

Bhadrachalam: A cameraman of state-run news channel Doordarshan (DD) and two policemen were killed in a Maoist ambush at Nilwaya area in neighbouring Chhattisgarh on Tuesday. According to police, the Maoists ambushed the police party at Nilwaya forests under Aranpur police station in Dantewada district. It led to an exchange of fire between the police and the Maoists.

As a result, a police sub-inspector Rudra Pratap, constable Manglu Mandvi and DD News cameraman Achyutananda Sahu from Odisha were killed. Sahu died on the way to hospital while the policemen died on the spot.

Two other members of the DD news crew Rakshak Vishnu Netam and RakeshGautam were injured. The DD team members Dhiraj Kumar and Mormukt Sharma escaped unhurt, the DIG (Anti-Naxal operations) P Sundarraj told local newsmen after the incident.

The Doordarshan has deployed the news crew to cover the ongoing electioneering in Chhattisgarh. They accompanied the police party which ventured into the forests on patrolling, the police said. The bodies were shifted to the district headquarters.