07-14-2009, 10:23 AM
<b>SP among 30 cops killed by Maoists</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In an audacious attack on the security forces, Maoists on Sunday killed 30 policemen, including a Superintendent of Police, in three separate incidents at Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh.
In one of the worst attacks in the State, Rajnandgaon SP Vinod Kumar Choubey was killed when he was leading police reinforcements for Madanwada, where the Naxals had killed two policemen in the morning, said Deputy Inspector General of Police Pawan Dev.
The Maoist violence has already claimed 148 lives in Chhattisgarh this year and the latest incidents were reported from Madanwada, Khoregaon and Sitagaon under Manpur police station.
After the SPâs team was ambushed, the police party was faced with heavy firing by the extremists and, in the gunbattle, Choubey and 23 other policemen lost their lives, Dev said.
In a separate attack, the Maoists set off landmines and ambushed another team of policemen that had left Sitagaon for Madanwada after receiving information of the attack in Madagaon on Sunday morning. Four policemen were killed in this incident, the DIG said and added that the SHO of the Madanpara police station was also killed in the attack. Security forces in helicopters were scouring the area to hunt for the rebels.
Dev said the two jawans, who were killed at Madanwada, had left their camp for ablutions in the morning when they were targeted by the extremists.
The Deputy Inspector General said that DGP Vishwaranjan and senior police officials have rushed to the spot. The bodies of the policemen are being brought by helicopter to the Manpur police station and the SPâs body has been sent to Rajnandgaon.
The Congress, meanwhile, demanded imposition of Presidentâs rule in the State for the alleged failure of the BJP-led Government to tackle the Maoist menace.
As soon as reports of killing of the two cops reached district headquarters, Choubeyâs team left for the site. When his team reached near Kerketti village, it was trapped in a Maoist ambush. Heavily armed Maoist rained bullets on the party resulting in the death of about 24 police personnel, including Choubey. This is for the first time that an SP level officer was killed in a Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh.
Meanwhile, another team of search party which moved from Sitapur negotiating interior areas of the forest to reach Madanpur, was caught in another ambush near Kare Keta on the Maharashtra border, 210 km from Raipur. Four cops died in this incident.
âAltogether 30 policemen were killed in three different incidents,â said Pavan Dev. On the Chief Ministerâs instruction, Home Minister Nanki Ram Kanwar, DGP Vishwaranjan and other top police officers reached Rajnandgaon, the Assembly constituency of Raman Singh.
Backed by six companies of the CRPF, the police began a massive combing operation in the area.
There has been an spurt in Maoist activities in Rajnandgaon. Extremists had killed six persons of a polling team in a landmine blast in November 2008 during the State Assembly poll. A BJP leader, who had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly poll, was killed by Maoists at Manpur Mohala in Rajnandgaon in September last year.
The incident is the third major attack on police personnel in Chhattisgarh since May this year. In June, 12 security personnel were killed in a landmine blast in Dantewada. Similarly, on May 9, 13 police personnel were killed by Maoists in Dhamtri district.
The Chief Minister condemned the killing of the security personnel. âThis is an unsuccessful attempt by the Maoists to demoralise the security forces,â said the Chief Minister. He said the sacrifice of the security personnel will not go vain. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In an audacious attack on the security forces, Maoists on Sunday killed 30 policemen, including a Superintendent of Police, in three separate incidents at Rajnandgaon district in Chhattisgarh.
In one of the worst attacks in the State, Rajnandgaon SP Vinod Kumar Choubey was killed when he was leading police reinforcements for Madanwada, where the Naxals had killed two policemen in the morning, said Deputy Inspector General of Police Pawan Dev.
The Maoist violence has already claimed 148 lives in Chhattisgarh this year and the latest incidents were reported from Madanwada, Khoregaon and Sitagaon under Manpur police station.
After the SPâs team was ambushed, the police party was faced with heavy firing by the extremists and, in the gunbattle, Choubey and 23 other policemen lost their lives, Dev said.
In a separate attack, the Maoists set off landmines and ambushed another team of policemen that had left Sitagaon for Madanwada after receiving information of the attack in Madagaon on Sunday morning. Four policemen were killed in this incident, the DIG said and added that the SHO of the Madanpara police station was also killed in the attack. Security forces in helicopters were scouring the area to hunt for the rebels.
Dev said the two jawans, who were killed at Madanwada, had left their camp for ablutions in the morning when they were targeted by the extremists.
The Deputy Inspector General said that DGP Vishwaranjan and senior police officials have rushed to the spot. The bodies of the policemen are being brought by helicopter to the Manpur police station and the SPâs body has been sent to Rajnandgaon.
The Congress, meanwhile, demanded imposition of Presidentâs rule in the State for the alleged failure of the BJP-led Government to tackle the Maoist menace.
As soon as reports of killing of the two cops reached district headquarters, Choubeyâs team left for the site. When his team reached near Kerketti village, it was trapped in a Maoist ambush. Heavily armed Maoist rained bullets on the party resulting in the death of about 24 police personnel, including Choubey. This is for the first time that an SP level officer was killed in a Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh.
Meanwhile, another team of search party which moved from Sitapur negotiating interior areas of the forest to reach Madanpur, was caught in another ambush near Kare Keta on the Maharashtra border, 210 km from Raipur. Four cops died in this incident.
âAltogether 30 policemen were killed in three different incidents,â said Pavan Dev. On the Chief Ministerâs instruction, Home Minister Nanki Ram Kanwar, DGP Vishwaranjan and other top police officers reached Rajnandgaon, the Assembly constituency of Raman Singh.
Backed by six companies of the CRPF, the police began a massive combing operation in the area.
There has been an spurt in Maoist activities in Rajnandgaon. Extremists had killed six persons of a polling team in a landmine blast in November 2008 during the State Assembly poll. A BJP leader, who had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly poll, was killed by Maoists at Manpur Mohala in Rajnandgaon in September last year.
The incident is the third major attack on police personnel in Chhattisgarh since May this year. In June, 12 security personnel were killed in a landmine blast in Dantewada. Similarly, on May 9, 13 police personnel were killed by Maoists in Dhamtri district.
The Chief Minister condemned the killing of the security personnel. âThis is an unsuccessful attempt by the Maoists to demoralise the security forces,â said the Chief Minister. He said the sacrifice of the security personnel will not go vain. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->