Monday, November 29, 1999

Maoists blow up CRPF truck, 8 killed

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A little over a month after they killed 75 CRPF personnel in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, Maoist rebels struck the paramilitary force again in the state on Saturday, triggering a powerful landmine blast that killed eight CRPF personnel traveling in a mini-truck in South Bastar region. Significantly, the vehicle was blown up on a National Highway.The attack took place around 5 pm on National Highway 16 that runs through the forests near Padekodepal, about 14 km from the district headquarters of Bijapur.The deceased were identified as ASI Santosh Kumar, head constables H K Ghosh, Hajarilal Verma and Subramaniam and constables Santosh Kumar, Rakesh Meena, Tekram Verma and Salad Singh. All the deceased belonged to the CRPF's 168th Battalion.Chhattisgarh DGP Vishwaranjan told reporters that a CRPF man sustained injuries on his leg while two civilians, who were passing through on a motorcycle, also sustained minor injuries. He said the security personnel were on their way to Bijapur from Awapalli to fetch ration supplies. "The personnel were travelling in three mini-trucks. The blast occurred at a place called Chinnkotakpal. While two mini-trucks crossed over unharmed, the last one in the convoy was blown up by the Naxals," a source said. The vehicle, a Tata 407, was a bulletproof truck, sources added. It was blown into pieces and some of the bodies were mutilated beyond recognition.Chief Minister Raman Singh strongly condemned the killing, describing it as an act of cowardice.State Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar said the security forces have to be very cautious while in Bastar. Use of vehicles in sensitive areas has always proved to be disastrous and the security forces were being repeatedly advised against using vehicles, he added.CRPF sources said that movement on National Highways generally happens on vehicles so it would be a little premature to say whether any Standard Operating Procedure was violated. "Also, it is probably for the first time that a mine explosion has been triggered to target the forces on a National Highway," a source said.

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