Bijapur, Jan 6: In their biggest strike on security forces in Chhattisgarh in two years, Naxals blew up a vehicle using an improvised explosive device weighing 60 to 70kg, killing eight District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawans and their civilian driver in Bijapur district on Monday, police said.
Police suspect the powerful IED was planted long back along the route used by DRG, a state police unit involved in anti-insurgency operations.
The explosive device went off near Ambeli village under the Kutru police station area at around 2.15 pm when DRG personnel from Dantewada district were returning in their Scorpio vehicle after an anti-Naxalite operation, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P said.
Eight DRG jawans travelling in the SUV and the driver of the vehicle were killed on the spot, located around 70km from district headquarters Bijapur, the official added.
DRG draws its personnel mostly from local tribal population and ranks of surrendered Naxalites.
Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the bodies were being evacuated. A search operation was launched in the area by security forces to hunt down those responsible for the killings, the IPS officer informed.
The DRG personnel targeted by Left-wing extremists were involved in an anti-Naxalite operation carried out for three days on the borders of Narayanpur, Dantewada and Bijapur districts in the Bastar region by joint teams of security personnel, the IG said.
Five Naxalites were killed in the three-day-long operation and one DRG head constable also lost his life, he said.
After the operation, DRG personnel from Dantewada were returning to their base in the vehicle when the attack occurred, Sundarraj added.
“It seems the IED used in the attack weighed 60kg to 70kg. However, forensic experts are at the spot to gather exact details,” Deputy Inspector General of Police (south Bastar) Kamlochan Kashyap said.
Preliminary investigation suggests the IED was old and planted long ago as wires connected to it were buried deep in the ground and grass had grown on the layer of soil over the device, he said.
Kashyap admitted there were lapses which led to the tragic incident, but did not elaborate further.
During an inspection of the blast site, around 150-metre-long wire connected to the trigger of the command IED was recovered, officials said.
Visuals from the spot, around 400km from state capital Raipur, showed a huge crater, more than 10-feet deep, splitting the concrete road after the blast.
The vehicle was completely destroyed in the explosion while dismembered bodies were seen placed on plastic sheets. A part of the SUV was seen hanging on a nearby tree.
This was the biggest strike by Maoists on security forces in Chhattisgarh in the last two years and the first assault in 2025, and comes amid the Centre’s push to eradicate the menace of Left-wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chhattisgarh Governor Ramen Deka and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed grief over the death of DRG personnel and the civilian driver in the blast.
“I am deeply saddened by the news of the loss of DRG soldiers in the IED blast in Bijapur (Chhattisgarh). I express my deepest condolences to the families of the brave soldiers. It is impossible to express this grief in words, but I assure the sacrifice of our soldiers will not go in vain. We will end Naxalism from India by March 2026,” Shah said in a post on ‘X’.
Governor Deka strongly condemned the Naxal attack and termed it as a heinous crime.
Chief Minister Sai said Naxalites were frustrated with the ongoing counter-insurgency operation in the Bastar region and therefore, have resorted to such cowardly acts.
Martyrdom of jawans will not go in vain, he asserted.
“The news of the martyrdom of 8 jawans and a driver in an IED blast carried out by Naxalites in Kutru of Bijapur district is extremely sad. My condolences are with the families of the martyrs. I pray to God to rest the souls of the martyred soldiers in peace and provide strength to the bereaved families,” Sai said in a statement.
He vowed to continue fight against the LWE.
“Naxalites are frustrated with the ongoing anti-Naxal operation in Bastar and have committed such cowardly act out of frustration. The martyrdom of the soldiers will not go in vain. Our fight to end the menace will continue strongly,” he added.
In the past, numerous attacks have taken place on security forces in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, comprising seven districts including Dantewada, using IEDs.
In the last major assault, ten police personnel and a civilian driver were killed after Naxals blew up their vehicle, part of a convoy carrying security personnel in neighbouring Dantewada district, on April 26, 2023. (Agencies)
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