Live: Rajnath Dubs Attack on CRPF Jawans “Cold-Blooded Murder”
The mortal remains of the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in Sukma Naxal attack arrived in Mana camp on Tuesday.
- Mamata Banerjee announced Rs 5 lakh as compensation for families of the martyrs
- Congress leader Digvijaya Singh accused CM Raman Singh and the BJP of having entered into a compromise with the Naxals
- Rajnath visited injured jawans in hospital on Tuesday
- Mortal remains of slain CRPF men flown to Mana
- Sukma attack condemned as worst Naxal attack in 7 years
HM Rajnath Asks DG CRPF to Stay Put in Chhattisgarh
The home minister asked acting director general of the CRPF, Sudeep Lakhtakia and senior security advisor in the home ministry, K Vijay Kumar to stay put in Chhattisgarh to ensure coordinated operations against the Naxals. The National Human Rights Commission has also condemned the attack.
Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Govt Announce Compensation For Martyrs' Families
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of the martyrs. She also promised jobs to family members of the jawans who lost their lives.
Tamil Nadu government also announced Rs 20 lakh each for the four CRPF personnel from the state who lost their lives in the attack.
CRPF Jawans Were Having Lunch When Maoists Ambushed Them
The jawans were having lunch when a hail of bullets and grenades hit them fatally.
A party of about 36 troops, out of the total 99, came under the first assault after they had ventured out from Burkapal on Monday to sanitise and provide protection to a 5.5-km long road construction work connecting Chitagufa in the said district, officials said.
The Maoists squad "very discreetly with the aid of locals" kept tracking the movement of the troops when one party of 36, out of the total three, sat down for launch, the strong squad of Naxals, possessing sophisticated weapons, took them by surprise and rained heavy gun fire, they said.
Sukma Attack An Act of Cowardice: Javadekar
HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday condemned the attack as an act of cowardice.
Digvijaya Singh Says the CM, the BJP Have an Understanding With Naxals
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh accused the government on Tuesday of having entered into a compromise with the Naxals. He added that CM Raman Singh and the BJP is helped by them.
Acting DG CRPF Put in Place for 48 Hours
The MHA stationed Sudeep Lakhtakia as acting DG CRPF for 48 hours in Sukma. Lakhtakia will submit a report following the attack to the Home Ministry on Thursday. Also, the Home Ministry said that the Army won’t be deployed in the area.
The Bastar Inspector General (IG), Vivekanand Sinha, spoke to ANI about the attack and said that firing had continued for 1.5 hours.
The bodies of the jawans were also mutilated, according to CNN-News18. Speaking to CNN-News18, DM Awashthi, DG Naxal Operations said:
Stills From the Site of Attack
The attack, said to be the worst Naxal attack in seven years, occurred when CRPF personnel were providing security for road construction work in the Kalapathar area of the south Bastar region.
Jawans' Families Mourn the Loss
The father of martyred CRPF soldier, Saurabh Kumar, spoke to the press. He told ANI:
Additionally, students of a school in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, paid tributes to the martyrs.
Rajnath Singh Visits Injured Jawans in Hospital
'It's Not a Question of Lack of Leadership': Rajnath Singh During Media Briefing
Union Minister Rajnath Singh called the attack “utterly cowardly and unfortunate” and “cold-blooded murder”.
Chief Minister Raman Singh also addressed the media.
When asked if the leadership vacuum in the CRPF was to blame for the incident, Union Minister Rajnath Singh refused to comment. He said that the government's policies on Left Wing Extremism (LWE) would be reviewed soon.
He reassured the families of the martyrs. “Centre and the state government will work together and take action. This is an act of desperation,” he said.
Wreath Laying Ceremony Held
Union Minister Rajnath Singh, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh and MoS Home Hansraj Ahir arrived for the wreath laying ceremony.
The Home Minister also tweeted his condolences.
MHA Blames Senior Leadership
The Ministry of Home Affairs blamed senior leadership on Tuesday for the attack. Raising questions about CRPF’s standard operating procedures, the MHA said that losing 25 lives is not usual in an aggressive attack, while pointing out that the Indian forces were on the defensive for the Monday attack.
The MHA also pointed out that the CRPF has not had a Director General (DG) in the last two months.
Mortal Remains of CRPF Personnel Arrive in Chhattisgarh
The mortal remains of the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in Sukma Naxal attack arrived in a Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) camp in Mana, Chhattisgarh.
At least 25 CRPF personnel were killed and several others wounded in an ambush by Naxalites in in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Monday. The CRPF personnel were sanitising a road which is being built in the area.
Inspector Raghubir Singh, commander of the 99-member company which was attacked, was among the jawans who were killed in the ambush.
CRPF constable Sher Mohammed said that around 300 Naxals were sent to trace the CRPF’s location, after which an ambush was carried out.
The CRPF also shared a photograph of the 25 martyred jawans.
Naxal Casualties in Retaliatory Action
(With inputs from media agencies.)
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