At least 10 killed in Chhattisgarh Maoist attack
BASTAR: After a lull, the Maoists have struck once again in the deep south in Chhattisgarh. An ambush left nine policemen and one civilian dead in Bijapur on Friday evening.
Bijapur is the state's southernmost district, flanked by Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The Maoists ambushed a joint party of district police and Chhattisgarh armed force (CAF), a specialised unit, at a river crossing between Bhadrakali and Bhopalpatnam, an area that falls near the trijunction of the states.
"The party left Bhadrakali police station in the morning to secure the area since some personnel were returning from leave. While it was returning, it came under fire around 5:30 in the evening," said DIG Vivekananda.
Some other accounts suggested the policemen were transporting food rations to Bhadrakali. While unloading the sacks from a boat, they came under fire. However, these accounts could not be confirmed.
"The policemen retaliated, it was a sustained exchange. There are inputs of casualties on the Maoist's side too, but it cannot be confirmed," said the DIG.
It was not clear why a civilian was killed in the exchange. "Either he was travelling with the police, or he was a bystander caught in the crossfire," he said.
Four injured policemen have been evacuated for medical treatment, he added. It was raining heavily in the area, disrupting communication lines.
Bijapur is the state's southernmost district, flanked by Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The Maoists ambushed a joint party of district police and Chhattisgarh armed force (CAF), a specialised unit, at a river crossing between Bhadrakali and Bhopalpatnam, an area that falls near the trijunction of the states.
"The party left Bhadrakali police station in the morning to secure the area since some personnel were returning from leave. While it was returning, it came under fire around 5:30 in the evening," said DIG Vivekananda.
Some other accounts suggested the policemen were transporting food rations to Bhadrakali. While unloading the sacks from a boat, they came under fire. However, these accounts could not be confirmed.
"The policemen retaliated, it was a sustained exchange. There are inputs of casualties on the Maoist's side too, but it cannot be confirmed," said the DIG.
It was not clear why a civilian was killed in the exchange. "Either he was travelling with the police, or he was a bystander caught in the crossfire," he said.
Four injured policemen have been evacuated for medical treatment, he added. It was raining heavily in the area, disrupting communication lines.
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