Sacrifices of jawans will not go in vain: Rajnath
Raipur: The naxal attack in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district which killed 12 CRPF personnel appeared to have been “pre-planned” and executed with “deadly accuracy”, police said on Sunday.
Besides triggering IED blast and indiscriminate firing, naxals also lobbed country-made mortars and “Rambo-style” explosive-headed-arrows on security personnel during the ambush, they said.
“As per preliminary investigation, it was learnt that the attack was pre-planned and executed by two military platoons of maoists active in Bhejji periphery. The security forces seem to have walked into a trap,” a senior police official told PTI.
At around 8 AM yesterday, a Road Opening Party (ROP) of CRPF’s 219th battalion, comprising around 120 personnel, had launched the operation from Bhejji to ensure security to the construction works underway between Injram-Bhejji, he said.
Besides, the ROP was also meant to sanitise the area for the movement of villagers and traders for the weekly market held every Saturday at Bhejji, located around 450 kms from the state capital, the official said.
“It is presumed that ultras were aware of the ROP operation on ‘market day’ and therefore had positioned themselves in the forest ahead of the patrolling team’s movement,” he said.
“When the para-military forces reached around 2 kms away from their camp towards Kottacheru at around 8:50 AM, the naxals surrounded them and unleashed the attack on them by resorting to random firing after triggering a powerful explosion, without giving them any chance to save themselves,” the official said. The troopers, however, took position and retaliated but till then over a dozen of them were hit by bullets and splinters, he said.
Meanwhile, describing the Naxal attack on CRPF personnel as a “cowardly act”, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said the sacrifices of jawans will not go in vain. “It is an unfortunate and sad attack on security personnel. I salute their martyrdom,” Rajnath told reporters at the headquarters of the 4th battalion of Chhattisgarh Armed Force in Mana Camp area.
Earlier, Singh paid homage to 12 CRPF personnel killed in a Naxal ambush in Sukma on Sunday, during wreath laying ceremony there.
“Maoists have executed a cowardly act on security forces who were rendering their duty. A mega road construction work is underway and about to complete. Security personnel were patrolling there, when they came under the attack. I salute their martyrdom. I salute the courage and valour of the jawans of CRPF and Chhattisgarh police,” Singh said.
Rajnath not to play Holi
Singh has decided not to play Holi in view of the killing of 12 CRPF personnel by Maoists in Chhattisgarh.
The Home Minister will not play Holi this time as he was saddened by the death of the 12 CRPF men at Sukma in Chhattisgarh, a Home Ministry spokesperson said. (PTI)