Late Congress leader's family not attacked in Dantewada Naxal attack

Late Congress leader Mahendra Karma's family was not attacked during Thursday's Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district.

Speaking to ANI, Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Pallav said, "There was no attack on late Congress leader Mahendra Karma's family in Dantewada. The exchange of fire took place only between Naxals and the security personnel in Kuakonda. Karma's team was campaigning two to three kilometres away from the spot and rushed to safety as soon as they heard the gunshots."

The exchange of fire took place in the forest of Halbaras in Kuakonda where security personnel were conducting an area domination patrol. The slain Congress leader's son Ashish was campaigning along with a number of supports close to the forest.

Karma was killed in an ambush by Naxals in 2013. He was reportedly stabbed 78 times.

On Thursday, an IED explosion near Bacheli in Dantewada led to the death of four personnel and a Central Intelligence Security Force (CISF), with two CISF personnel sustaining injuries.

The attack comes days ahead of the first phase of voting for the state Assembly elections, scheduled for November 12, in which 18 constituencies, mainly in the Naxal-affected areas, will go to polls.