THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Vishnu R, 35, of Palode in Thiruvananthapuram, was among the two CRPF personnel killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast, allegedly planted by Naxalites, in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Sunday. The other jawan was identified as Shailendra, 29, of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
Vishnu had rejoined duty just a month back after visiting his home state for the housewarming of his new residence in Palode. He and his family had been living with his parents V Reghuvaran and Ajitha Kumari till then. Vishnu is also survived by his wife, Nikhila, a nurse at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital, and two sons Nirdev, 7, and Nirvin, 3.
A 10-year veteran of the force, Vishnu’s first posting was in Kashmir. He was later transferred to Jharkhand before being posted in Chhattisgarh. Both the deceased were part of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) 201 battalion.
CoBRA is a specialised force established to undertake guerrilla and jungle warfare operations, specifically tailored for addressing the Maoist insurgency. The IED was planted on the road from Camp Silger to Tekalgudem to target security forces. According to reports, the incident occurred at 3pm, when the jawans were on a road-opening duty.