After the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur attack which killed 22 border security personnel, another Maoist attack was witnessed. Chhattisgarh’s Ghotiya was rocked by an IED blast and in this incident, as many as 12 civilians have been reported being injured and 1 is killed. The incident comes only a few months after the Sukma-Bijpur incident where 9 Naxalites and 22 security officers died. The death toll was the most for Indian security forces that lock horns with Naxalites since 2017.
Details
As the country prepares itself to ward of external terrorist forces in J&K with anti-drone systems, the internal terrorism is still posing to be an ever-looming threat. On August 5, 1 person lost his life and 12 people were reported injured after the Naxalites allegedly blew up an SUV (sports utility vehicle) with an IED (Improvised Explosive Device). The incident was reported from Dantewada district in Chhattisgarh which is already a Naxal insurgency-hit region in the country.
Maoist Attack in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada District
Also Read: When Saviour Needs Saving – MP Minister Airlifted after Getting Stuck During Rescue Mission
The Facts of the Matter
According to reports, the victims, all civilians, were traveling from an SUV when an IED hit them and injured almost all of them excluding one. The incident took place this morning at around 7.30 AM near the Malewadhi police station. Soon, the police rushed to the scene and the injured were taken to a nearby hospital.
12 Injured, 1 Dead
After the incident, Abhishek Pallava, the district’s SP (superintendent of police) spoke to Press Trust of India and was quoted by an India Today reports saying-
“The vehicle, a Bolero, came under the impact of the IED blast, causing injuries to all 12 occupants, including a woman.”
He further said-
“The incident took place at around 7.30 am near Ghotiya village under Malewadhi police station limits, located around 400 km from the state capital Raipur, on an under-construction route that connects Narayanpur to Dantewada.”
Also Read: Road Caves in Under Delhi Flyover Due to Rains, Hole About 10-15ft Stops Traffic
IED Was Planted for Local Police
IED Blast in a SUV in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada District
Although the injured were rushed to the hospital, the more alarming piece of information is that the Maoists had planted an IED and the local police were the target of the attack. But somehow due to twist of fate, the civilian SUV became the collateral damage.
20 Security Officers Killed in March in IED Attack
It should be noted that this IED attack is the second such attack Chhattisgarh has suffered from at the Maoists’ hands. In March, 5 security force personnel of the DRG (District Reserve Guard) were killed in Narayanpur. According to police, the Maoists were targeting a bus that were carrying over 20 security personnel.
The bus – which was under the attack – was hit by 3 IEDs that were planted under a culvert. As the bridge was crossing a bridge, a few kilometers away from a nearby police camp, the IED was triggered and an explosion was reported. Such was the devastation by the IED that a huge hole was gouged in the ground due to the impact and the bus then tumbled into the bridge.
Fortunately, the bus had slipped into a dry bed, and hence, no drowning related incident was reported.
Also Read: Mumbai: 16-year-old Girl Throws Newborn Baby from 2nd Floor, Booked for Murder
The infamous Sukma-Bijpur Attack
In April, as many as 22 members of the security forces were killed and at least 31 officers were injured after a 4-hour long gun-fight with the Maoist insurgents. The security forces were carrying out a search operation against the group in the Bastar region where the team was ambushed by the insurgents.
The Maoist insurgency has claim thousands of lives of civilians and since 2010 over 2,100 Indian civilians have been killed in such insurgency hits.
