Ground report

Police say the Maoists have tried to step up violence ahead of polls primarily to scare voters

Major Naxal attacks in 2018

January 27: Four security personnel were killed and nine others injured in an encounter in Narayanpur district

March 14: Nine Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed and three others injured in an IED blast triggered by Maoists

May 21: Seven state police jawans were killed when suspected Maoists blew up their vehicle with an IED in Dantewada. The Maoists also looted six automatic rifles from the police personnel

July 14: Two jawans of Border Security Force (BSF) were killed and another was injured in an encounter with the Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district

October 27: Four CRPF personnel were killed when Maoists blew up their mine-protected vehicle (MPV) in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district. Two others were injured

November 8: Five people, including four civilians and a CISF jawan, were killed when Maoists blew up a bus in Dantewada