3 CRPF personnel killed in Maoist attack in Odisha

THE AMBUSH RESULTED IN THE HIGHEST TOLL SUFFERED BY CAPFS IN ODISHA IN THE LAST 4.5 YEARS

BHUBANESWAR: Three Central Police Reserve Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in an ambush by Maoists in a village bordering Gariabandh district of Chhattisgarh during a road opening exercise on Tuesday afternoon, police said.

Senior officials of Odisha police said jawans of the 216 battalion of CRPF were engaged in a road opening exercise near Bhaisadani village under Boden police station area of Nuapada district when they came under fire just 1.5 km from a new security forces camp at Patadhara.

“There was fierce exchange of fire between CRPF and Maoists. Combing operation has been intensified in the area. Operation would continue till the Maoists are flushed out,” said inspector general of police(anti-maoist ops) Amiidentified tabh Thakur. Around 10-12 rounds were fired by Maoists on the CRPF jawans.

The deceased personnel were

as assistant sub-inspector Sishupal Singh (Aligarh, UP), assistant sub-inspector Shivlal (Mahendragarh, Haryana) and constable Mahendra Kumar Singh(rohtas, Bihar). The state government announced ex-gratia of ₹20 lakh for the next of the kin of the each deceased.

Deputy inspector general of police(south-western range) Rajesh Pandit said the road opening party of the CRPF had started foot patrol from 7.30 am. “After it started raining, the jawans took cover under a polythene. The jawans were then ambushed by the Maoists,” said Pandit.

The Nuapada ambush was the highest casualty suffered by personnel of central paramilitary forces in Odisha in the last four-and-a-half years. In January 2016, two Border Security Force personnel were killed in IED blast in Koraput district.