Maoist strike kills 2 CRPF men in Bastar

“They left Bhejji, covered around 10 km when they spotted a suspected hut. They cordoned it off when a blast, probably inside the hut, took place,” R K Vij, ADG (Naxal Ops), said. Maoists also opened fire at the police party.

Deputy Commandant Mohammad Nihal Alam and Constable Raju Rawat were killed in the incident.

The deceased and seven injured belonged to 219 Battalion of CRPF, while one of the injured is from Chhattisgarh Police. The injured have been airlifted to Raipur and condition of at least four of them is said to be critical. Bhejji is probably the most inaccessible police post in Chhattisgarh. Situated in the middle of an unpopulated forest, supplies and personnel are airlifted here monthly.

In a separate incident, the police claimed to have killed three alleged Maoists in Bijapur district. A joint team of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra Police had during an operation encountered Maoists near Bada Kakler village Saturday. The spot is around 20 km from the nearest police post in Farsegarh.

“We had a successful operation. We recovered the bodies and returned today,” said Bijapur SP Prashant Agarwal.Farsegarh is the last administrative presence towards Abujhmaad in Bijapur, beyond which Maoists rule the territory. Forces had not crossed Farsegarh over the past 6 to 7 years. This is probably the first encounter in the zone.