Gadchiroli CRPF attack; Police registers case under UAPA

Tracking those responsible for the March 27 blast that had ripped off a CRPF vehicle carrying 40 troops from Pushtola to Gatta for an operational duty, security forces are making efforts to apprehend top Naxal commander Vikram.

Vikram, according to top security sources, is the commander of the Chatgaon Naxal guerrilla squad which operates along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border. He is the mastermind of the IED blast, they said.

The Gadchiroli police has registered a case in connection with the blast under at least eight sections, including 302 (murder) and 148 (rioting, armed with deadly weapon) of the IPC, along with sections of the Explosives Act, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the Bombay Police Act.

According to the sources, Vikram, along with few of his cadres, had carried out a reconnaissance of the area and then led them to trigger the blast.

The sources said the landmine with an estimated 40 kgs of explosive material was kept under a culvert.

The daring daylight Naxal attack had come when CRPF chief K Vijay Kumar was on a tour of Maharashtra and was in the Gadchiroli region. PTI NES