Vitul Kumar, the acting Director General of the Central Reserve Police Force has reached Chattisgarh in the wake of Naxal’s deadly attack against security forces on Monday. Chattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has also started to Bijapur to pay respects to the martyred soldiers.
Kumar reached from Delhi on Tuesday and he is expected to review anti-Naxal operations in the region. The acting director general of CRPF is expected to pay respects to the District Reserve Guard jawans killed in the attack, visit the blast site and review anti-Naxal operations in the region. Kumar will also visit CRPF camps in Bastar region and chair a review meeting.
#WATCH | Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai leaves from Raipur for Dantewada where 8 DRG jawans and their driver, lost their lives after their vehicle was blown up by naxals through an IED blast, in Bijapur, yesterday. pic.twitter.com/bOqW3o1jYY
— ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2025
Perhaps their deadliest strike in recent times, Naxals blew up a vehicle of the security forces near Ambeli village in Bastar on Monday afternoon. As many as eight security personnel and a driver were killed in the attack. According to police, 60-70 kg strong IED was used to blast the vehicle.
#WATCH | Chhattisgarh | Visuals from the spot where 8 Dantewada DRG jawans and their driver, lost their lives after their vehicle was blown up by naxals through an IED blast, in Bijapur. They were returning after a joint operation of Dantewada, Narayanpur and Bijapur. pic.twitter.com/b874uA3ocU
— ANI (@ANI) January 7, 2025
Chhattisgarh police said among the slain jawans, four were from DRG and four from Bastar Fighters, both units of state police. The attack happened around 70km away from the Bijapur district headquarters.
Security forces have been conducting anti-Naxal operations in the Bastar range for the past few days. Five Naxals were killed in the operation in Dantewada, Narayanpur and Bijapur areas under Bastar police range. Hours before the deadly strike, CRPF recovered and defused an IED weighing about 20-22 kg in the same district.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sai has started to Bijapur in a helicopter to pay respects to the martyred soldiers. On Monday, the chief minister condemned the attack and called it a cowardly act. “The Naxalites are frustrated with the ongoing Naxal eradication campaign in Bastar and are perpetrating such cowardly acts out of frustration. The martyrdom of the soldiers will not go in vain, our fight to end Naxalism will continue strongly,” Sai tweeted.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also condoled the deaths and said their sacrifice won’t go in vain. “It is impossible to express this grief in words, but I assure you that the sacrifice of our soldiers will not go in vain. We will end Naxalism from the land of India by March 2026,” Shah asserted.
