A four-hour-long encounter between the Indian Army and Maoist rebels on Saturday afternoon near the Jonaguda village in Chattisgarh left 22 jawans dead, and 32 injured, marking the deadliest massacre of Indian service members in over a year.
A large-scale combing operation began on Friday night, when joint security forces of over 2,000 personnel launched a large-scale anti-Maoist operation from the Bijapur and Sukma districts in the South Bastar forests, which are considered to be Maoist strongholds. Ten security teams were deployed for the operation—two from Sukma district and eight from three camps in Bijapur. Members of the security force comprised of those from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), its elite CoBRA unit (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), the District Reserve Guard (DRG), and the Special Task Force (STF).
On Saturday, the gunfight began in Tekulugudam, while lies around 12 km from the Tarrem base camp of the security forces near the Sukma-Bijapur border. The patrolling team dispatched from Tarrem was ambushed by members of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) and was driven down the Tekulugudam hill, where some of the soldiers tried to seek shelter in nearby houses. However, they were ambushed by bullets and hand grenades. The soldiers were then further chased into the open plains, where seven jawans lost their lives.
One of the injured jawans in Bijapur district hospital told The Indian Express, “After we didn’t find anything at the original target, we were coming back when we were attacked. We don’t really know when the Naxals covered us from all sides. They had sophisticated weapons and they were using them in abundance.”
In the wake of the incident, Union Home Minister Amit Shah cut short his election campaign in Assam and returned to Delhi to hold a high-level meeting on Sunday to review the situation on the ground. Before leaving Assam, the minister said, “Our security men have lost their lives, we will not tolerate this bloodshed and a befitting reply will be given at an appropriate time.” He also stressed that the soldiers’ sacrifice would not go in vain. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister (CM) Bhupesh Baghel also joined Shah in condemning the attack. “Our jawans have displayed exemplary courage by inflicting massive damage on Naxals (in this incident). Operation against Naxals will be intensified,” the CM said in a tweet.
This is the second such attack in the last ten days. On March 23, three soldiers from the DRG were killed and ten others were injured in an IED blast, when Maoists allegedly attacked a bus carrying 24 security personnel in the Naryanpur district of Bastar, Chhattisgarh.
Maoist Rebels Kill 22 Soldiers in Chhattisgarh, Home Minister Shah Promises Retaliation
Home Minister Amit Shah has vowed to deliver a “befitting reply an appropriate time” to Maoist rebels, who on Saturday ambushed Indian security forces in Chhattisgarh, killing 22 and injuring 32.
April 5, 2021
SOURCE: THE TIMES OF INDIA