Four CRPF personnel killed as Naxals blow up bullet-proof bunker vehicle in Chhattisgarh

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Four personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed and two injured after Naxals blew up a bullet-proof bunker (BPB) vehicle in poll-bound Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district Saturday, police said.

The incident occurred around 4 pm near Murdanda camp of the CRPF under Awapalli police station limits, when its 168th battalion was out on "area domination" operation, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg told PTI.

When the BPB vehicle carrying six security personnel was around one km away from the camp, ultras triggered a powerful land mine blast, he said.

"Four CRPF men -- Assistant Sub-Inspector Mir Maitur Rehman (50), Head Constable and driver B M Behra (43) and Constables C H Praveen (21) and Shreenu Kumar (26) died on the spot and two others Head Constable Baburao Siddheshwar and Constable Parmar Hardik were injured in the blast," he said.

The explosion was followed by exchange of fire between Naxals and the security personnel who were following the BPB vehicle, he said.

Reinforcement was rushed to the spot and the injured were shifted to a local, the official said, adding that the bodies of the slain were retrieved from the site of explosion.

Later, the injured were airlifted to Raipur, he said.

The attack took place on a day when Chief Minister Raman Singh launched the ruling BJP's campaign for the first phase of polls on November 12 in neighbouring Sukma district.

The first phase of election will cover 18 constituencies in eight Naxal-affected districts -- Bastar, Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon, which will be held on November 12. The remaining 72 constituencies will go to polls on November 20.

Naxals had recently put up posters in parts of Bastar calling for boycott of the polls.

On March 13 this year, nine CRPF jawans had died when Naxals blew up a mine-protected-vehicle in Sukma district.