Raipur: A team of five CRPF and seven polling personnel accompanied by top officials rushed to Jagdalpur on Sunday to review the situation and ensure safe return of about 100 more polling parties who are still stranded in the Naxal-stronghold areas after Maoists carried out two deadly post-poll attacks in Bastar Lok Sabha constituency.
The Chief Secretary, who was accompanied by state’s Chief Electoral Officer Sunil Kujur, Home Secretary NK Ashwal and Director General of Police AN Upadyaya, is scheduled to visit Kutulnar in Bijapur where Naxals blew up a bus killing 14 people when they were returning to district headquarters with EVMs after conducting voting on April 10.
The high-level team is also scheduled to visit Darbha in Bastar District which witnessed the second powerful landmine blast targeted at a Sanjeevani 108 Ambulance carrying nine CRPF personnel of a road opening party to their base camp.
The blast led to killing of five CRPF personnel, ambulance driver and a para-medical staff.
Bhojpal Sahu — one of the four other injured personnel admitted to a private hospital here — said a section of their road opening party boarded the ambulance for Darbha camp as one of their officials suddenly fell ill.
But the vehicle hardly crossed one km when it fell prey to the landmine attack.
Altogether eight people, including CRPF and polling personnel, injured in the twin blasts, were airlifted and admitted to Ramakrishna care hospital here.
According to hospital director, Sandeep Dave, all victims suffered multiple injuries in the spinal cord, chest, limbs and face but condition of one CRPF personnel Jitendra Kumar was critical. (UNI)
