Again, Naxals find Chhattisgarh cops easy target

The discovery of gunshot wounds on the bodies of two of the five Chhattisgarh police personnel killed by Maoist rebels on Thursday night and eyewitness accounts have established that it was not just another landmine attack.

The discovery of gunshot wounds on the bodies of two of the five Chhattisgarh police personnel killed by Maoist rebels on Thursday night and eyewitness accounts have established that it was not just another landmine attack. It now appears that the members of the police team were shot at while trying to escape from the blast site, and more importantly, they were not armed.

The attack took place when the police party was travelling by bus from Pakhanjore to Kanker. The policemen were only armed with lathis despite the fact that they were travelling through an area known to be a Naxalite stronghold.

Investigations by The Sunday Express revealed that while three police personnel, assistant sub-inspectors Najgir Baksh and Lokesh Sahu, and driver Asharam Dugga, were killed in the blast, two others, Kamlesh Kanwar and Devprakash Darro, were shot dead by the Naxals.

Story continues below this ad

Their bodies were recovered from a ditch yesterday, a day after the incident, about 50 metres from the blast site. The blast, triggered by Naxal cadres lying in ambush near Bhuski culvert, left an eight-feet-wide crater at the site. After the blast, the Naxalites opened fire on the bus, forcing the policemen to flee from the spot.

What the authorities are now finding hard to explain is how after last month’s massacre of 55 security personnel at Dantewara, the Chhattisgarh Police failed to take adequate measures to protect its men. “These policemen were travelling without weapons in a Maoist-infested area. If some of the policemen hadn’t managed to take shelter in the nearby forests, the death toll would have been much higher. The Naxalites started firing immediately after the blast,” a source said.

Several of the injured personnel confirmed that they survived by running into the jungle. “Once the landmine went off, we could hear gun shots from the nearby jungles. Most of us got out of the bus after breaking the window glasses. As we didn’t have any weapons, we ran in the opposite direction from where the shots were being fired,” said Govind Sahu, a constable injured in the attack. Sahu was amongst the 18 injured policemen who ran for their lives and reached Durgukondal after hours.

A police attempt to pass off the incident as just another landmine blast failed after two security personnel, Veer Singh Thakur and Tarun Kalakar, who were missing after the incident, returned to Durgukondal police station late last night. “When the Naxalites started firing I decided to take refuge in the nearby jungles. I had to spend the night in the thick undergrowth and only came out in the morning,” said Kalakar, who suffered injuries on his abdomen and legs.

Story continues below this ad

The police had earlier claimed that 23 personnel were travelling in the bus. However, after the news of the two men’s safe arrival became public, the figure was revised to 25.

Meanwhile, Inspector General (Bastar Range) R K Vij confirmed that the policemen in the bus were unarmed. “These jawans had gone to Pakhanjore to avert a law and order situation. Such personnel normally carry lathis for crowd control. However, they should have been provided with an armed escort,” he conceded.

The securitymen were not the only victims. Five civilians, travelling in the bus after being offered a ride by the security personnel, were also injured in the incident. “I boarded the bus along with four relatives near Gumdidihi village. I didn’t know that taking a ride with policemen would have such horrific consequences,” said Daswantin Bai, who was left with a fractured leg. A senior police officer said police personnel often “persuade” civilians to accompany them in their vehicles in a bid to thwart Naxal attacks.

Over 600 people, including security personnel, have been killed in Naxal-related violence in Chhattisgarh in the last year.