Maoists massacre 25 CRPF troopers in Chhattisgarh jungle ambush

Illustration/Ravi Jadhav

At least 25 CRPF personnel were killed and six wounded in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district yesterday, the deadliest attack by Maoists targeting security forces this year.

The Maoists mounted the assault around 12.25 pm in Kalapathar area of south Bastar region, one of the worst-hit by Left-wing extremism in the country. The area is close to the Chintagufa-Burkapal-Bheji axis, the hotbed of Maoist violence that has seen a number of such attacks in the past.

"As per the latest report, we have lost 26 men. We are still to account for all the personnel and a search is on. About 7-8 boys are still missing. The last word on the encounter will come once the entire area has been searched and all troops contacted," a senior CRPF officer said, adding that the paramilitary patrol was about 99 personnel-strong.

The incident occurred near Burkapal village within Chintagufa police station limits, Sukma Additional SP Jitendra Shukla said.

While 11 bodies were recovered first, 12 were found during combing operations.

A jawan succumbed to injuries while being evacuated by air, the officer said.

It is understood that the company commander, an inspector-rank officer leading the contingent, was also killed.

Reinforcements, including CoBRA commandos of the CRPF and its other units, were been rushed to the scene from the nearest camp of the paramilitary force.

The incident comes at a time when the CRPF, the country's largest paramilitary force, is without a full-time chief after K Durga Prasad retired on February 28.