Chhattisgarh: 7 securitymen killed in Dantewada day before Rajnath commissions anti-naxal 'Bastariya' battalion

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will on Monday attend the commissioning of the much talked-about 'Bastariya' battalion of the CRPF, created for the first-time with more than 534 tribal youths from Chhattisgarh, here.

Singh reached the Ambikapur-based camp of the Central Reserve Police Force in the state this evening after attending an event in Satna district in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh. The squad that will pass out tomorrow has 33 per cent representation of women combatants with 189 'mahila' constables. PTI first reported on May 17 about the squad set to getting operational. The new battalion has been numbered 241.

Singh will award the best performers of the new unit after they present him with a guard of honour and a military parade. The hardcore, localised battalion of the young combatants will be immediately deployed for anti-naxal operations in some of the worst Left Wing Extremism-hit areas such as Sukma, Dantewada and Bijapur, a senior official said. The unique battalion - recruited from Sukma, Dantewada, Narayanpur and Bijapur districts of undivided Bastar - has been raised with a specific purpose to strengthen security forces' operations in areas where they have witnessed maximum reverses for a few years owing to a lack of concrete intelligence and familiarisation with locals, and the topography.

The battalion is named 'Bastariya' as its members are from the Bastar region in southern Chhattisgarh, bordering Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Telangana, the official said. The 534 troops will get their ranks of constables and take up arms against the naxals tomorrow. The recruits have been trained for about 44 weeks in jungle warfare, weapons firing, map reading, police laws and unarmed combat, the official said.

"These jawans, after the PoP (Passing Out Parade), will be deployed in core areas of Chhattisgarh to fight naxals alongside the normal CRPF and CoBRA battalions," a CRPF statement said. After the event, the home minister is expected to hold an LWE review meeting in the state capital Raipur before returning to Delhi. Seven Chhattisgarh police jawans were today killed when naxals triggered an improvised explosive device and ambushed their vehicle in Dantewada district of the state.

Naxals carried out a land mine blast around 12 noon when a joint team of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) and the District Force (DF) was patrolling the Cholnar-Kirandul road to provide security to trucks carrying construction material for road works between Kirandul and Palnar villages, a senior police official said.The intensity of the blast, which took place near a culvert, was strong enough to toss the police vehicle in a roadside ditch, he said.

Five personnel died on the spot and two were rushed to the National Mineral Development Corporation's hospital at Kirandul. One of them died during treatment at the hospital and another was airlifted to Raipur, where he died, the official said. Those killed from the DF were identified as Head Constable Ramkumar Yadav, Constable Tikeshwar Dhruv and Assistant Constable Shalik Ram Sinha, he said. The official said that from the CAF's 16th battalion, Head Constable Vikram Yadav and constables Rajesh Kumar Singh and Ravinath Patel were killed in the attack. 

CAF Constable Arjun Rajbhar, who was airlifted to state capital Raipur, died during treatment, he said. Naxals looted six automatic weapons -- two AK-47s and as many INSAS and self loading rifles -- of the deceased personnel, he said. Police sources believe that the attack was in retaliation to the recent encounters in Gadchiroli (Maharashtra), Malkangiri (Odisha) and Bijapur (Chhattisgarh), where Maoists suffered major casualties.

Combing operations have been intensified in the area following the attack, the official said. Condemning the attack, Chief Minister Raman Singh termed it "cowardly" and said it exposed the rebels' anti-people and anti-development mindset. "Our police personnel have sacrificed their lives while guarding a road construction site. Their sacrifice will always be remembered," he said.

"This proves that Naxalites do not want villagers and tribal people of this district to have access to even basic facilities such as roads. Incidents like these cannot dampen the courage and determination of our police force and officials, employees and labourers associated with road construction," Singh said. "We are committed to provide all-weather transportation facility by developing a network of roads in the entire Bastar division, including Dantewada," the chief minister said. Earlier, Naxals had carried out a land mine blast in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on March 13 in which nine CRPF personnel were killed.

The Centre had sanctioned the battalion in July last year. The concept to raise the team was mooted with the aim that the recruits, mostly tribals, will help address local issues such as unemployment, provide tactical advantage to CRPF in operations, intelligence collection and language benefits. The CRPF is the lead anti-naxal operation force and has deployed over 35,000 personnel in Chhattisgarh