Chhattisgarh: Two jawans dead, five injured in Maoist blast

Two jawans were killed and five injured, two of them critically, when Maoists on Monday set off a landmine targeting a bus carrying District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel in Chhattisgarh, a senior police officer said.

According to Bastar Range IG Vivekanand Sinha, the incident took place on Bijapur-Gopalapatnam road near Kandpal. The explosion was so powerful that a 10-feet-deep crater was created on the road.

In retaliatory action, the jawans opened fire. But, after around an hour-long exchange of fire, the Maoists managed to escape into forests through the mountains.

After giving first aid to the injured jawans, they were airlifted to Raipur for further treatment.

Confirming the death of two DRG jawans in the blast, the IG said that search operations had been intensified in the entire area. The deceased were identified as Bhojraj Maurya and Manish Wacham.

The Maoists are opposing the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, scheduled for April 14. Modi will dedicate to the nation "Ayushyaman Bharat Yojana" in Jangla of the state. Besides, he will also dedicate to people several other projects and lay foundation stones for some others.

The Maoists have thrown posters, banners and leaflets in large numbers along the Bijapur-Gopalapatnam road near Mahadev Ghat. The seized literature alleges that the Prime Minister is planning to hand over their natural resources to big corporate houses in the name of development.

--IANS

hindi-nir