Maoists kill 3 CoBRA personnel in Bastar

“Three constables were killed when they were returning from poll duty, our men fought well. We expect casualty of Maoists,” said R K Vij ADG (Naxal Ops).

Among other weapons, satellite phone and bulletproof jackets, the Maoists snatched an X-95 assault rifle, a highly sophisticated weapon used by CoBRA personnel.

In another incident, three CRPF personnel were injured in an IED blast in Gangalur area of Bijapur district, about 150 km away from the first attack site. Meanwhile, Narayanpur police seized two tiffin bombs of five kilograms each.

Asked about the possibility of securing the elections, DGP A N Upadhyaya said: “This problem has been going on for the last 40 years, no guarantee can be given for this.” Earlier, state police and CRPF officers had said the Maoists had conducted recce of certain police camps and were likely to launch smaller attacks instead of a major ambush.

While 564 companies of additional paramilitary forces were deployed in Bastar during the Assembly polls last year, only 143 additional companies have been deployed for the Lok Sabha elections. Officials said this was not enough, but noted that with elections being held across the country, they could not have got more personnel.

Still, Bastar remains among the most well guarded constituencies. As many as 238 polling booths have been shifted from interior areas to safer zones.
Bastar has traditionally seen a triangular contest between the Congress, BJP and CPI. This year, however, AAP has made an entry with Soni Sori, a schoolteacher who was earlier arrested for alleged Maoist links.