2 cops, journalist killed in Maoist attack
Official says an inquiry has been ordered to find out the reason being the incident and accuses Maoists attempting to create hurdles in the upcoming elections in the state on Nov.12
killed Doordarshan cameraman Achyutanandasahuandtwopolicemen in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, which is set to go for polling in the irst phase of Assembly elections in the state on Nov.12.
Two other police personnel and a journalist also sustained injuries in the ambush, the second in the last four days, that took place around 11.20 a.m. when a Doordarshan crew was moving with a security patrol for coverage in Aranpur area, Deputy Inspector General of Police P. Sundarraj told the media here.
“Two police personnel died on the spot while the cameraman, who suffered grievous injuries, later succumbed to his injuries,” said the oficer.
He added that the police personnel and the media crew were moving from Aranpur police station to Nilaway village in vehicles when they were attacked.
Sahu, 34, hailed from Loisinga in Odisha’s Bolangir district. The slain police personnel were identiied as Constable Mangal Ram and Assistant Sub-inspector Rudra Pratap Singh. The injured police personnel are Vishnu Netam and Rakesh Kaushal.
The oficial said an inquiry has been ordered to ind out the reason being the incident. He accused the Maoists attempting to create hurdles in the upcoming elections in the state.
The Maoists have asked people to boycott the polls. Dantewada is among the areas going to polls in the irst phase covering 18 constituencies.
“Now our primary focus is to provide medical assistance to the injured,” the oficer added.
Meanwhile, DD News in a tweet said: “DD News had deputed a team to cover the Chhattisgarh polls, comprising cameraperson Achyuta Nanda Sahu, Dheeraj Kumar and MM Sharma. In a Naxal attack, Sahu was martyred. The entire DD News family salutes his service and stands by his family in this hour of grief.”
Condemning the attack, Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore tweeted: “Strongly condemn the Naxal attack on DD News Live crew. Deeply saddened by the demise of our cameraman and two jawans. These insurgents will not weaken our resolve. We will prevail.”
On Saturday, the Maoists had ired on a contingent of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Bijapur district, killing four troopers on a day when Chief Minister Raman Singh kicked off the ruling BJP’S election campaign for Assembly elections.
A Police said the shooters were Maoists, also known as Naxals, who have been waging an insurgency against Indian rule in a forested belt of the country dubbed the “red corridor” for decades.
“A sub-inspector, a constable and a cameraman have been killed,” Ratan Lal Dangi, a senior state police oficer, said. Two others were injured in the attack. National broadcaster Doordarshan conirmed one its cameramen had been killed. The state head of operations against the Maoists, P. Sunder, said additional forces had been rushed to the scene.
“It is a developing situation and more forces are going to the spot. We will get more information about it once the team comes back,” the senior police oficer told reporters.
Last week, Maoists were blamed for blowing up a military vehicle in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh that killed four soldiers.
Chhattisgarh goes to the polls in two phases, irst on Nov.12 and then Nov.20.
The state has been governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for 15 years. The Maoists have urged voters to oust the BJP.
The shadowy rebels are believed to be present in at least 20 states across India but are most active in remote parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.