‘Security personnel safe after Maoist attack in Bastar’

“Our men have retaliated and came out of the ambush. At least four to five Naxalites might have killed in the encounter. We will be able to get more details only after they returned to their base”,he added.

A team of 100 security personnel,comprising personnel from the Dantewada district police,Special Task Force (STF) and “Koya commandos”—local tribal youth who were Special Police Officers (SPO) and later absorbed into the regular force–had left Kirandul police station in the morning for a routine search operation. Initial reports said these search parties were ambushed by the Maoists in the forests of Gumiyapal,about eight Kms from Kirandul,leading to a fierce encounter.

Speculation grew that 75 security personnel were “missing” in the forests after the Maoist ambush as the police claimed that they were unable to contact those in the search parties and they were finding it difficult to move in the reinforcement parties because of rains in the area. Besides,helicopter could not take off because of inclement weather. However,police confirmed by the evening that “All is well”.

Additional Director General of Police (Anti-Naxal Operations) Ram Niwas confirmed that all security personnel were safe and they were returning to their base camps. ” It is taking time as adequate precautions are being taken as the area is considered as sensitive and to avoid the possibility of any attack on the police parties”,he added.

For the last four months,Naxalites had stepped up violence against the security personnel,particularly targeting the para-military Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Nearly 150 security personnel,majority from the CRPF,were killed in different attacks that took place in Dantewada,Narayanpur and Bijapur districts in Bastar region–triggering a blame game between the CRPF and the state police.

While the state police held a perception that CRPF personnel were getting ambushed due to their own follies,including for not following the standard operation procedures–the para-military has been blaming the state police for alleged lack of coordination. Union Home secretary G K Pillai and Chief Minister Raman Singh had to intervene to hammer out the differences between the state police and the para-military force.

On the contrary,the district police team,STF and ‘Koya commandos’ were successful in engaging the rebels in a pro-longed encounter today and forcing the rebels to retreat,police sources claimed.