Chhattisgarh encounter: Two BSF troopers killed by Maoists

RAIPUR: An assistant commandant and a constable of the Border Security Force (BSF) were killed in a fierce gun battle with outlawed CPI (Maoist) in Kanker district, around 200 km south of Raipur on
Wednesday.

A joint team of BSF and Kanker district police force were out in a search operation since Tuesday late evening following a tip-off about the presence of large number of naxalites in the forested terrain of Rowghat in Kanker district.

“The Maoists triggered improvised explosive device IED blasts followed by indiscriminate firing on the troopers. The attack was swiftly retaliated leading to an encounter. Two BSF personnel including
an assistant commandant rank officer were killed. The forces are yet to return. It was intelligence-based
operation. The reinforcement have been rushed to the area”, the Kanker superintendent of police K L Dhruv told the New Indian Express.

The slain BSP troopers were identified as Vijendra Kumar (assistant commandant from Haryana) and Ambrish Kumar (constable from Bihar).

The security forces have been put on high alert fearing the Maoist reprisal after the several rebel cadres were killed recently and the rise in offensive activities owing to their ‘Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign’ (TCOC) that is being observed from March to June every year.

Kanker is one of the seven worst Maoist affected districts in the conflict zone of Bastar, south Chhattisgarh.