Dantewada attack: Maoists dug tunnel under road to plant 50kg IED, say Chhattisgarh Police

RAIPUR: Maoists had dug a deep tunnel beneath the asphalt road to plant an improvised explosive device (IED) weighing 40-50kg, and the vehicle that was hit turned out to be a target of opportunity for the Maoists, police said on Thursday as aftershocks of the blast continued to shake the country.
“It appears that the Maoists had tunnelled up the road to plant explosives, which couldn’t be detected during the demining exercise,” Bastar Range IG P Sundarraj said.
Often, such large IEDs are planted months in advance and the Maoists wait for an opportunity to detonate them, sources told TOI.

Unfortunately, one such opportunity presented itself on Wednesday afternoon when the convoy carrying security personnel drove down the same route it had used earlier in the day.
The road wasn’t sanitised for the return journey, say police sources. Most handheld metal detectors, used in field conditions, can detect mines buried up to 20 inches deep.
A big part of the investigation is to ascertain when the explosive was planted, said a source, adding that it couldn’t have been placed so deep underground in the 90 minutes between the outbound and homeward trips of the convoy.

“The security forces have taken control of a large swathe of area, from Aranpur to Jagargunda and Basaguda (a stretch of 75km), and have established camps in the Maoist stronghold to enforce a strong presence. We are investigating how the Maoists found an opportunity to plant the IED. A forensic team that inspected the spot is conducting scientific analysis of the explosion,” the IG said.
Retired director general of police R K Vij, who headed anti-Maoist operations for a long time in Chhattisgarh, said: “The way the incident happened on Wednesday, it appears that a small group of two-three militias triggered the blast, targeting only the vehicle.”

“Unlike certain other occasions, Maoists didn’t resort to indiscriminate firing and didn’t loot weapons after the blast. This is why it appears that it wasn’t a big formation of the Naxalites,” he pointed out.
The Maoists used explosives that are generally used in mining activities and to blast rocks to build the IED, say sources.
Police have issued an alert throughout Bastar division because the Maoists are carrying out their annual ‘tactical counter-offensive campaign’ (TCOC) during the summer months from March to June. This period traditionally sees a spurt in ambushes and attacks on security forces.
The security personnel have been asked to be cautious when they are out on operations, especially in demining and IED-detection activities, said the Bastar IG, adding that a high alert is sounded in all seven districts of Bastar division after the IED blast in Dantewada.
The slain jawans were a mix of fresh recruits, former Maoists and victims of Maoist violence.
Watch Shocking video of deadly Naxal attack in Dantewada goes viral!