Seven policemen were martyred in a deadly blast on Sunday in a jungle stretch in Dantewada district on Kirandul-Cholnar Road when a landmine planted by Maoist militants ripped through the vehicle in which they were travelling in.
The martyred jawans belonged to the Chhattisgarh Armed Forces (CAF) and the District Force (DF) who were heading in a jeep from Cholnar to Kirandul to provide security cover to workers and officers engaged in a road construction work.
Chief Minister Raman Singh who was addressing a public rally in Surguja region when the news of the blast started trickling in, expressed deep anguish and shock over the killings of the jawans.
Rs Rs The Maoists' anti-development face has been exposed, they don't want road, they are anti-people, we will fight against them with all might'' Singh remarked.
Officials at police headquarters in Raipur informed that a high alert had been sounded in the entire sprawling Bastar region and a massive search operation was launched soon after the blast.
There were seven policemen in the vehicle. But latest reports confirmed that Maoists melted in nearby forests after executing the blast that killed five cops on the spot, while sixth policeman succumbed to injuries at a hospital at Kirandul and one more cop at a private hospital in Raipur after being airlifted in a critical condition.
The deceased cops were identified as Ramkumar (Head Constable), Tikeshwar Dhruv (Asst Constable), Salikram Sinha (Constable), Vikram Yadav (Head Constable), Rajesh Singh (Constable), Ravi Patel (Constable) and Arjun Rajbhar (Constable).
local police officials said that the powerful explosion shattered the jeep into many parts and left a 10-foot crater on the blast site on a newly-built road. Maoists who were apparently watching from a distance took away the weapons, including two AK-47, two Insas and two SlR rifles each.