RAIPUR: Ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, four personnel of Border Security Forces (BSF) were killed in a Maoist ambush and an exchange of fire at Mahla forested terrain in strife-torn Kanker district, about 200 km south of Raipur, on Thursday.
Two other security personnel suffered injuries in the encounter. Both were air-lifted to Raipur for immediate medical attention.
“The encounter took place when the Maoists ambushed the troopers of the 114 Battalion of BSF who were on an area domination operation. Four BSF men including one assistant sub-inspector and three constables were killed in the attack. The rebels fled in the nearby jungle following which the forces indulged in a strong retaliation,” Kanker district superintendent of police K L Dhruv told Express.
The attack which took place within 10 km from the BSF base camp has raised several questions on the security preparedness for the upcoming general elections in areas having the presence of left-wing extremists, who have already declared Lok Sabha poll boycott. The election in Kanker Lok Sabha constituency is scheduled in the second phase on April 18.
The officials in the state police headquarters (PHQ) ruled out any intelligence failure. Reinforcements have been rushed to the region and intensified search operation has been launched, the police said.
The deceased jawans have been identified as ASI Bipul Boro (Assam), and three constables - Silam Ramkrishna (Andhra Pradesh), Tumeshwar (Chhattisgarh) and Israr Khan (Jharkhand).
“Officials (administrative and security) have been asked to keep a close watch and enhance surveillance over activities of Maoists through the local intelligence network and secure necessary actions”, the
Bastar inspector general of police Vivekanand Sinha told TNIE.
The naxals are known to pick soft targets to register their presence and the movement of candidates with their supporters need to be secured by the forces, the IG added.
The forces in recent years have succeeded in launching huge pressure on the Maoists in the interior areas to curb their presence, movement and violence across the strife-torn areas.
Kanker is one of the seven worst Maoist-affected districts in the conflict zone of Bastar region in south Chhattisgarh, where the BSF was deployed in 2009.
Last week, on 26 March the security forces killed four armed cadres of outlawed Maoists in another insurgency-hit district of Sukma, about 450 km south of Raipur. The conflict-ridden Bastar constituency will go to polls in the first phase on April 11.