Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said a befitting reply will be given to the Naxal attack in Chhatisgarh at an appropriate time.
He also said search operations are continuing in Chhattisgarh following the encounter.
‘’As far as the numbers are concerned, both sides have suffered losses and exact casualty figures cannot be ascertained immediately’’, Mr. Shah said, after cutting short his election campaigning in Assam. The home minister is flying back to Delhi to take stock of the situation.
‘’Our securitymen have lost their lives, we will not tolerate this bloodshed and a befitting reply will be given at an appropriate time’’, he added.
Bodies of 17 of the 18 jawans missing after the encounter were recovered on Sunday, taking the death toll to 22, police said separately.
Mr. Shah, addressed his first rally of the day at Sorbhog.
Though he arrived at Sualkuchi, in Jalkubari constituency, to campaign for NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma, he left the area, without making any speeches to take a chopper back to Guwahati en-route to Delhi on learning of the Naxal attack.
The Home Minister said that he was appealing to people to vote for Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to ensure Mr. Sarma’s victory by a huge margin.
He added that the vote would strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his work for Assam and the North East.
Mr. Shah said that both Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Mr. Sarma are working to develop the state and ‘’we want this to continue’’.
Amit Shah cuts short election campaign
Mr. Shah cuts short his election campaign in Assam and returned to New Delhi in view of the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh.
Mr Shah was scheduled to attend three rallies — in Sarbhog, Bhabanipur and Jalukbari — for the BJP on the last day of campaigning for the third and final phase of polling on April 6.
But he had to return after the first rally at Sarbhog in western Assam's Barpeta district.
“Today's first Assam rally by Home Minister at Sarbhog, before he cut short his visit as well as other two rallies and returned to Delhi in view of Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh. Crowds in thousands from all sections of society thronged the jam-packed venue.” tweeted Jitendra Singh, the Minister for Development of North Eastern Region and in charge of the party's campaign in Assam.
(With inputs from Rahul Karmakar)