Chattisgarh, 27 April 2023: On Wednesday, Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district bombed a van that was returning from an anti-Naxal operation and had 10 security personnel and a driver in it. Around 1 o’clock, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in the vicinity of the Aranpur police station, killing a driver and all ten members of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of the state police. 

According to reports, the attack on April 26 was the Maoists’ largest against the security forces in Naxal-affected Chhattisgarh in the previous two years. Around 450 kilometers separate the blast’s location from Raipur, the state capital.

How Naxals Conducted IED Attempt 

After learning about the presence of Maoists from the Darbha division in the densely forested tri-junction of the Bastar area in south Chhattisgarh, the security officers had left the Dantewada district headquarters.

According to sources, soldiers were dispatched to conduct operations based on knowledge of senior Naxal figures present in the Aranpur region. Around one o’clock in the afternoon, troops halted a private car to return to their base. The Naxals set off the IED as soon as the car arrived in the Palnar region.

Sources claim that the Naxals planted roughly 50 kilograms of IED in preparation for the attack.

Visuals from the attack site revealed a massive hole that was approximately five feet deep and divided the road. The car itself was

CM Bhupesh Baghel and PM Modi promise action

The attack by the Naxals was harshly denounced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also paid tribute to those who lost their lives. “I condemn the assault on the Chhattisgarh police in Dantewada emphatically. I honor the brave personnel who lost their lives in the attack. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten,” the Prime Minister tweeted, “My sympathies to the families of the deceased.”

Attacks on personnel under the TCOC 

According to reports, armed Naxals from the Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) carried out the assault on security forces. TCOC is a violent campaign carried out by the Maoists between March and June to fortify their cadres and launch significant attacks on security forces because woods lack vegetation, increasing visibility and the ability to set up ambushes.

Identification of personnel killed in the blast 

driver Dhaniram Yadav, Raju Ram Kartam, Joga Kavasi, Santosh Tamo, Duglo Mandvi, Joga Sodhi, Munna Ram Kadti, Lakhmu Markam, Hariram Mandavi, Jayram Podiam, and Jagdish Kavasi were among the ten security officers and one driver that perished in the explosion.