In another chilling reminder of the costs of festering Naxal insurgency, the guerrillas on Monday killed 25 jawans of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in one of the deadliest attacks in the recent past in Chhattisgarh’s restive Sukma district. ( Read more)
Though the senior officials neither confirmed nor denied, a top intelligence official told Business Standard that a group of jawans were reportedly having lunch when the incident took place. Following the attack, the paramilitary force issued a statement that about 300 to 400 Naxals "ambushed" its patrol party. The statement added that a "considerable number of Maoists" were believed to have been eliminated in retaliatory actions.
Monday's attack comes after the incident on March 11 this year, where 12 CRPF personnel were killed in another ambush by the Naxals.
Here are 10 other lethal Naxal attacks and encounters from the past 10 years:
1) Sukma ambush: On March 11 this year, Naxalites laid a deadly ambush and killed 12 jawans of the CRPF in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district.
A team of 120 jawans was on a road security mission when they walked into the ambush laid by the rebels. As the jawans came in the range, Naxalites, who had taken already position, opened indiscriminate fire.
2) Aurangabad attack: In July of 2016, at least 10 CRPF commandos belonging to the elite COBRA unit were killed and five others injured when Naxals targeted them with an improvised-explosive device (IED). According to reports, officials said that the attack took place in the jungles of Bihar's Aurangabad district.
According to the officials, an encounter occurred between the jawans of the COBRA unit and the Naxals after the IED blast. The officials revealed that the encounter resulted in the killing of three Naxals by late Monday night.
3) Dantewara attack: On March 30, 2016, seven CRPF men were killed in Chhattisgarh's Dantewara district in a landmine explosion.
The CRPF personnel of the 230 Battalion were heading towards Mokapal area from Kuankora police station for patrolling when their vehicle was caught in a landmine explosion. The CRPF men were also fired upon just after the explosion, sources said.
Such was the intensity of the attack, which came just weeks after a CRPF jawan was killed and four others injured in an IED blast in Chhattisgarh’s Maoist-hit Sukma district, that it left a deep crater in the metalled road, according to media reports.
4) Palamau attack: Towards the end of January in 2016, the Maoists triggered an IED blast in Palamau district of Jharkahnd killing seven security personnel.
The Commandant of 134 Battalion of CRPF, S K Linda, had said the police were on an anti-Naxal operation when the vehicle carrying these personnel drove over the IED. CRPF and district policemen were walking at a distance behind the vehicle when the blast took place.
5) Attack on senior Congress leaders: In May of 2013, heavily-armed Maoists ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders in Chattisgarh's Sukma district, killing 27 people, including senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma, and injuring senior leader V C Shukla and 31 others.
A day after the attack, bullet-riddled bodies of abducted Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son and eight others were found in Bastar.
6) 2010 Narayanpur attack: In June of 2010, 26 personnel of the CRPF's 39 Battalion were killed in a Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district.
The ambush was one in a string of lethal attacks which were perpetrated by the ultras between February and June that year.
7) 2010 Dantewada attack: In April of 2010, at least 75 jawans of the CRPF were killed in an ambush by Maoists in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada region.
According to reports, the Maoists attacked the CRPF convoy in the Tademetla forests. Opening indiscriminate fire and triggering an IED blast, the Maoists struck the convoy and the reinforcements which were sent in to aid the security forces.
The attack came just two days after Maoists had triggered another landmine blast and killed 11 security personnel of the anti-Naxal force Special Operations Group in Odisha's Koraput district.
8) 2010 Midnapore attack: On February 15, 2010, 24 personnel of the Eastern Frontier Rifles were killed in their camp in Silda in West Midnapore district of West Bengal in what was the most devastating Maoist attack in the state.
9) Malkangiri landmine attack: In July of 2008, Maoists blew up a police van in a landmine blast and killed 21 policemen in Odisha's Malkangiri district.
10) 2008 boat attack: In June of that year, Maoists attacked a boat at Odisha's Balimela reservoir. The boat, which was carrying four police officials and 60 Greyhound commandos, came under ambush and 38 troops were killed in the action.