Chhattisgarh: 22 soldiers who died in Bijapur Naxalite attack

In Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, the number of soldiers killed in an encounter with Maoists on Saturday has increased to 22. DG of Naxal operation Ashok Juneja has confirmed this to the BBC. A soldier is missing since the encounter on Saturday.

Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the current situation after the encounter with senior officials in Delhi. The meeting was attended by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Intelligence Bureau Director Arvind Kumar, and other senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Talking to reporters in Guwahati before reaching Delhi, Home Minister Amit Shah said, "I want to assure the families of the soldiers that their sacrifice will not go in vain".

Bastar Inspector General of Police P Sundararaj said that according to the latest information, "the bodies of 22 soldiers have been recovered. 31 soldiers are injured have been admitted to the hospital. Their condition remains stable. One cobra jawan is missing." The search operation is on. "

Kuldeep Singh, director-general of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), said that "there is no intelligence lapse in the operation. 25-30 Naxalites have been killed in the Bijapur encounter".

Chhattisgarh Naxalites are the names of the soldiers killed in the attack. 1. Deepak Bhardwaj (Sub Inspector), 2. Ramesh Kumar Jurry (Head Constable), 3. Narayan Sodhi (Head Constable), 4. Ramesh Korsa (Constable), 5. Subhash Nayak (Constable), 6. Kishore Andrik (Assistant Constable), 7. Sankuram Sodhi (Assistant Constable), 8. Bhosaram Karatami (Assistant Constable), 9. Shravan Kashyap (Head Constable), 10. Ramdas Korram (Constable), 11. Jagataram Kanwar (Constable), 12. Sukh Singh Faras (Constable), 13. Ramashankar Packra (Constable), 14. Shankaranath (Constable), 15. Dilip Kumar Das (Inspector), 16. Rajkumar Yadav (Head Constable), 17. Shambhuraya (Constable), 18. Dharmadev Kumar (Constable) ), 19. Shakhamuri Murali Krishna (constable), 20. Rather Jagdish (constable), 21. Bablu Rambha (constable), 22. Samaiya Madhavi (constable).

One of the few major Maoist attacks

Earlier, Ashok Juneja, the DG of Naxal Operation, had said that "20 bodies were recovered by the team of security forces who arrived at the scene today. Apart from this, there have been reports that Maoists helped their injured comrades with three tractor-trolleys after the encounter." Were taken from. This incident is being investigated. "

The BBC spoke to different sources on the occasion. He said that the bodies of the soldiers were lying in many places within a radius of one kilometer, which was recovered by the STF team on the occasion.

This is believed to be the biggest Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh in the last few years. Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has expressed grief over the death of the soldiers in the encounter with the Maoists.

Prime Minister Modi wrote in a tweet after the incident, "My condolences to the families of the soldiers who were martyred while fighting the Maoists in Chhattisgarh. The sacrifices of the brave martyrs will never be forgotten. Will do."

Jawans set out on Naxal operation

Officials said the encounter between Maoists and security forces lasted for about four hours. The Maoists have also suffered a lot in this incident. The seven soldiers who were shifted to Raipur are now out of danger. One jawan is still missing, who is being searched.

According to the information received, 2059 jawans of CRPF, District Reserve Guard, Special Task Force, and Cobra Battalion had left for Naxal operations from different areas of Sukma and Bijapur on Friday.

These included 420 jawans from Narsapur camp, 483 jawans from Minapa camp, 200 jawans from Usur camp, 195 jawans from Pamhed camp, and 760 jawans from Tarrem camp.

Injured jawan in Raipur hospital

On Saturday, the Maoists attacked the security forces in the forest of Jonnagunda, adjacent to the Sigler of Tarrem police station, while returning after the operation. 37 soldiers injured in the encounter have been admitted to hospitals in Bijapur and Raipur.

Meanwhile, the state Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu met the soldiers who were admitted to a private hospital in Raipur on Saturday night.