Bijapur: Photograph shows the mangled remains of the Mobile Bunker that was blown up by Naxals. Senior police officials say that the vehicle is a Tata 407 converted into a bulletproof vehicle. (Express photo)
Five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers were killed and one injured in an explosion on Saturday after Naxals blew up a mine-protected (MPV) vehicle in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district.
The blast occurred Saturday evening, around 4 pm, near Murdana camp of the CRPF under Awapalli police station when its 168th battalion was out on “area domination” operation, said Bijapur Superintendent of Police Mohit Garg, as quoted by PTI.
Information coming in that toll now 5. Chhattisgarh Special DG DM Awasthi says personnel of the 168 battalion were on an area domination excercise when a mobile bullet proof bunker which 6 jawans were in was targeted by an IED @IndianExpress
— Dipankar Ghose (@dipankarghose31) October 27, 2018
A kilometre away from the camp, when the MPV was carrying six personnel, ultras triggered a powerful landmine blast, Garg said.
“Worryingly IED (Improvised Explosive Device) was planted less than a kilometre from the camp,” said a senior official.
The officials informed that the MPV was a Tata 407 converted into a bulletproof vehicle.
Officials said reinforcement was rushed to the site immediately and injured were evacuated while bodies were being retrieved.
Chhattisgarh will go to polls in two phases on November 12 and 20. The attack occurred on a day when Chief Minister Raman Singh kicked off the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) 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.
(With PTI inputs)