Sunday, 08 September 2024
Sunday, 08 September 2024
July 18, 2024: Two STF personnel killed in Bijapur IED blast
On Thursday, two Special Task Force (STF) personnel were killed and four others injured in an IED blast triggered by Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. The incident occurred in the Tarrem area as a joint team of security personnel was returning from an anti-Naxalite operation. Police identified the deceased as STF constables Bharat Sahu from Raipur and Satyer Singh Kange from Narayanpur. Reinforcements were sent, and the injured were evacuated for treatment. In light of the attack, here is a quick recap of Maoist-related security incidents in India in recent months.
May 2024: Three Maoists killed in Chhattisgarh
On May 25 2024, three Naxalites were killed in separate gunbattles with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's south Bastar region. Two Maoists were gunned down in Bijapur district, and one in neighbouring Sukma district. The Bijapur gunbattle occurred in a forest near Jappemarka-Kamkanar villages under Mirtur police station limits, during an anti-Naxalite operation by the District Reserve Guard (DRG). The operation was based on a tip-off regarding the presence of Maoist leaders Pandru and Joga, along with 10 to 15 armed Maoists. After the gunfight, the DRG team recovered the bodies of two Naxalites, along with weapons, a wireless set, bags, Maoist uniforms, medicines, and daily-use materials.
April 2024: 29 Naxalites killed in Kanker, Chhattisgarh
On April 16, 2024, 29 Naxalites were killed and three security personnel were injured in a gunfight at Hapatola forest in Kanker, Chhattisgarh, when a joint team of the BSF and the DRG carried out an anti-Naxal operation.
January 2024: Three jawans killed in Sukma Naxal attack
On January 30, 2024, three jawans were killed and 14 others were injured in a Naxal attack near Tekalgudem village in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district. The incident occurred during a search operation conducted by a joint team of security personnel. The dead included two members of the specialised CoBRA commando battalion. The injured personnel were later transported to Raipur for treatment. Tekalgudem village, where the incident took place, was also the site of a gunbattle back in 2021 that resulted in the death of 23 security personnel.
November 2023: Naxal attack injures security and polling personnel amid Assembly elections
On November 7, 2023 a jawan from the CRPF’s CoBRA Battalion was injured in an IED blast triggered by the Naxals in the Tondamarka area of Sukma district during the first phase of the Chhattisgarh Assembly election. The Kunta assembly constituency, part of the Naxal affected Sukma district, was among the 20 seats voting that day.
September 2023: CRPF trooper killed in Jharkhand IED blast
On September 28, 2023, a CRPF soldier from the Cobra Battalion 209 was killed, and another injured in an IED blast in Jharkhand's West Singhbhum district. The explosion occurred during a joint operation against Naxalites in the forest hills near Tumbahaka and Sarjomburu villages. The injured soldiers were later airlifted to Ranchi for treatment, where constable Rajesh succumbed to his injuries.
April 2023: Dantewada IED blast kills 11
On April 26, 2023, an IED blast in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district killed 10 policemen and their driver. The attack targeted members of the DRG returning from an anti-Maoist operation. The DRG is known for its local tribal members trained to combat Maoists.
Naxalism breathing its last: Amit Shah
In February 2024, Union home minister Amit Shah had said there has been a significant decline in left-wing extremism-related violence. He had attributed it to what he called the Narendra Modi government's holistic approach. Naxalism, he had posted on X (formerly Twitter), was breathing its last as a result of the body blow dealt to it by the security forces. He had cited data that 7,649 incidents and 2,020 deaths had occurred as a result of left-wing violence from 2014 to 2023, down from 17,679 incidents and 6,984 deaths between 2004 and 2014.
