Maoists fire at IAF chopper, two injured

An IAF flight gunner and a CRPF personnel were injured when Maoists fired at an Mi-17 chopper in Jagdalpur area of Chhatisgarh.

The incident took place when a CoBRA team led by CRPF’s Chhattisgarh IG HS Siddhu had an encounter in Elmagunda forests near Chintagufa. (Picture for representation purpose only)

An Indian Air Force (IAF) flight gunner and a CRPF personnel were injured when Maoists fired at an Mi-17 chopper in Jagdalpur area of Chhatisgarh on Friday evening. The chopper was evacuating five other CRPF personnel who were injured in an ambush by the Naxals in Bastar region.

The aircraft later landed safely in Jagdalpur, where the two were treated. An IAF official said that they were “out of danger”. The IAF flight gunner was identified as M K Tiwari. “The Mi-17 chopper was pressed into action to evacuate five CRPF casualties. On its way back, the helicopter was fired at,” an IAF official said.

The other personnel the chopper was evacuating were injured during an encounter between a CoBRA team led by CRPF’s Chhattisgarh IG H S Siddhu and Maoists in the Elmagunda forests near Chintagufa. The IG’s gunman, Rupak Rawat was among those injured.

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CRPF and state police teams have been conducting massive operations in the interior zones of Sukma district over the last week. Several teams, comprising over 5,000 personnel, have been combing the Maoist-hit area. “Over a dozen operations are going on in Bastar. This was the first instance that we faced such resistance from the Maoists. Our 5,000 personnel are still present in various areas,” Bastar IG S R P Kalluri said.

Meanwhile three personnel were injured while defusing a landmine in Bijapur district Friday.

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