Six Odisha Police personnel killed in Maoist landmine blast

The explosion took place near Mungarbhumi on Sunki ghat, barely one km from Andhra Pradesh border.

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The explosion took place near Mungarbhumi on Sunki ghat, barely one km from Andhra Pradesh border, in the Maoist-affected Koraput district, the officer said.

At least six jawans of Odisha State Armed Police were killed and as many jawans injured when the minibus they were travelling was flung off the road following a landmine reportedly planted by Maoists under a culvert on the mountaineous roads at Sunki in Koraput district exploded this afternoon. Koraput superintendent of police Charan Singh Meena said the blast took place on National Highway 26 at Mungabhumi village of Sunki area under Pottangi poice station on the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border. Soon after the blast, the Tata 709 minibus carrying the jawans was flung at least 60 feet down the ghat road. The jawans, all drivers, were going from Koraput to Angul district for training as assistant drivers. The place where the blast occurred was about 2 kms away from Sunki.

WATCH VIDEO | Odisha: Six Police Personnel Killed In Maoist Landmine Blast

Though there was BSF camp at Sunki, for first one hour, no one from the camp could come to the affected site. Later, police officials from Pottangi police station, Koraput and jawans from Andhra Pradesh reached the spot along with BSF jawans. Of the 6 injured and admitted in Kraput government hospital, 3 are said to be serious.

After the blast, hundreds of vehicle on both sides of the blast spot were left stranded as rod communication was completely cut off.

The blast comes just about two weeks before the 3-tier panchayat polls, which the Maoists in Malkangiri district have wanted the people to boycott. Officials said the blast is the Maoists’ retirbution after last October’s encounter by Andhra’s Greyhound police and Odisha police in the deep forests of Malkangiri district that left 30 Naxals dead.

In August 2013, four jawans of the Border Security Force had died and three others injured in the same area when suspected Maoists triggered a landmine blast under a culvert. The slain BSF personnel were on their way to Gujarat, their rear base.

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