In one of the bloodiest attacks in recent times, 15 policemen were hacked to death by armed Maoists in a remote Gadchiroli village on Sunday afternoon.
In one of the bloodiest attacks in recent times, 15 policemen were hacked to death by armed Maoists in a remote Gadchiroli village on Sunday afternoon.
Reports said the police team, led by a sub-inspector, walked into a trap near Gyarbatti police station in Markegaon village (Dhanora tehsil) in the Maoist-infested district. The 300 Maoists, belonging to Tippagarh Dalam, reportedly shot at and then hacked the hands and legs, and gouged the eyes out of the policemen when they were still alive.
The deceased have been identified as police sub-inspector Bhupendra Gudghekar, Kalidas Halami, Baisakhu Badoti, Bhushan Mogare, Surendra Naitam, Madhav Pote, Fagu Koram, Chaus Amar, Duryodhan Halami, Ravidas Kumare, Nandu Halami, Rupesh Pendor, Dilip Bhanarkar, Manoj Kalapalliwar and Sudhakar Kokarmare.
Casualties in the naxalite camp are not known. Anti-naxalites operations cell chief Pankaj Gupta, who has gone to the spot, told DNA that the police had been on a short range patrol at 10.15 am, after the Maoists burnt a tractor and a vehicle in the village, near an under-construction bridge, two days earlier.
When the police party came under attack, it retaliated and fired about a thousand bullets from 10.30 am to 12.30 pm. They then ran out of ammunition, Gupta said.
The Gadchiroli police and anti-naxal operations wing have sent over 3,000 personnel for major retaliatory action. Gadchiroli superintendent of police Sudhanshu Ranjan has gone to the spot.
Home minister Jayant Patil has also left for Gadchiroli, while Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, director general of police AN Roy and other officials will reach there on Monday.
Chavan asserted that action against the naxalites will be intensified. “We will help all family members of policemen killed in the attack. I have instructed the home minister and senior officials to visit the area immediately. We will find the attackers and take tough action against them,” he said.
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