Prime Minister Narendra Modi (Express photo/Praveen Jain)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday condemned the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district that killed nine security personnel of the 212 Battalion of the CRPF and left two others injured.
“India salutes the brave @crpfindia personnel who were martyred in the attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh. My thoughts are with the families and friends of the brave martyrs. The nation stands shoulder to shoulder with them in this hour of grief,” Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter.
According to officials, an encounter broke out between the jawans and the Maoists around 8 am. This contingent was later targeted by the rebels around 12.30 pm along Kistaram-Palodi road when the personnel were conducting an area-domination operation. The mine-protected vehicle (MPV) was blown up by multiple improvised explosive devices (IEDs) concealed under the dirt track, a senior official said.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh also said that the incident was “deeply distressing” and asked CRPF Director General R R Bhatnagar to rush to Chhattisgarh. “Today’s IED blast in Sukma, Chhattisgarh is deeply distressing. I bow to each and every security personnel who attained martyrdom while serving the nation. My heartfelt condolences to the families of those personnel who lost their lives in Sukma blast. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured jawans. I spoke to DG @crpfindia regarding the Sukma incident and asked him to leave for Chhattisgarh,” he tweeted.
At least nine personnel of the 212 Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed in a powerful IED blast by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Tuesday. (Express photo)
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, meanwhile, called the attack “a deteriorating internal security situation due to flawed policies.” The party also described the attack as a mindless and ruthless strike on security forces by the ultras and expressed solidarity with the families of those killed, while hoping that the injured would soon recover. “Endangering India’s national security is a direct consequence of the Modi government’s aimless, irresolute and inconsistent polices. Modi had sold the ‘national security’ plank hard to attain power, but in the past four years, we have only witnessed a precarious security situation in the country,” Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said in a statement.
The Maoist attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh in which 9 CRPF jawans lost their lives is tragic. It reflects a deteriorating internal security situation due to flawed policies.
My condolences to the families of those killed. To those who have been injured, I wish a speedy recovery.
— Office of RG (@OfficeOfRG) March 13, 2018
Recalling the attack in Sukma last year in which 26 CRPF personnel were killed, Surjewala said the BJP had not learnt any lessons from the 2017 ambush. “Hollow claims, sloganeering and drafting acronyms for propaganda cannot be a substitute to sound policy measures. Rhetoric and headline management only exacerbate the situation and endanger our people,” he said.