Naxals claim responsibility for attacks in Chhattisgarh

Maoists today claimed responsibility for the recent attacks at Narayanpur and Dantewada districts of Chhattisgarh in which more than 20 police personnel were killed, and threatened to continue similar attacks if the government does not stop 'brutal repression' of common people.

A statement, issued by the CPI (Maoist), Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, claimed their activists ambushed a police party near the Chhattisgarh Armed Force camp at Jharaghati village in Narayanpur district on June nine in which five persons were killed.

The next day, the statement claimed, a mine-proof vehicle of the police in the Katekalyan area of Dantewada district was ambushed in which 10 police personnel, including seven Special Police Officers, were killed and three others injured.

''Two sophisticated weapons were taken away on June 9 and on the next day some weapons were also taken away," the statement claimed.

The statement went on to say that on May 19, Chinna Venta, a C-60 commando squad commander was killed and on May 23 nine policemen, including an assistant superintendent of police Rajesh Pawar, were killed in Raipur on the 44th anniversary of Naxalbari uprising.

Warning the government to stop army deployment in Bastar district, Gudsa Usendi, Spokesperson of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, said, ''Raman Singh's fascist rule and its brutal oppression are responsible for the recent counter-attacks of PLGA.''

Alleging that the BJP government in Chhattishgrah is deploying army in the name of Army Training School, the statement said, ''We strongly oppose the deployment of Army in Bastar region and will continue to resist the proposed acquisition of 750 sq km land in the name of Army training School.''