Page 10 - The Indian EYE 040921

NATION APRIL 09, 2021 | The Indian Eye 10

Maoist hostage drama: are the armed

rebels getting stronger in dense jungles?

In Chhattisgarh attack, 22 commandos are killed and one taken hostage for 5 days as Amit Shah promises strong response

Our Bureau
Raipur

n a shocking attack in the jungles of Ch-
hattisgarh’s Bijapur district, around 400
IMaoists ambushed security personnel
during an anti-Naxal operation. Some 22
special commandos were killed in the at-
tack. One jawan went missing while around
30 were injured.
The anti-Naxal operation was launched
by a strong contingent of about 1,500 troops
drawn from the CRPF’s specialized jungle
warfare unit CoBRA, a few from its regular
battalions, a unit of its Bastariya battalion,
the Chhattisgarh Police-affiliated District
Reserve Guard (DRG) and others.
Union home minister Amit Shah on
Monday said the sacrifice of 22 security per-
sonnel killed in a Maoist ambush over the The wife and family members celebrate after the release of
weekend will be remembered for taking the CRPF Jawan Rameshwar Singh Manhas, in Jammu on Thursday. (ANI)
battle against the extremists to a “decisive
turn”, and said that the counter-insurgency party of jawans were ambushed by Naxals Action (CoBRA) is a unit of the CRPF.
battle will be intensified to take it to a “log- near Jonnaguda village. “Meanwhile, we have received a let-
ical end”. Earlier the banned Communist Party of ter from the Maoists and have a brief idea
Shah, who visited Chhattisgarh on India (Maoist) issued an open letter men- about him. We have confirmed the authen-
Monday to review the situation and to pay tioning its willingness to negotiate with the tication of the letter. We are closely looking
tributes to those killed in the encounter, Central government. The banned outfit also into the matter,” Sunderraj said.
chaired a high-level meet at Jagdalpur, the proposed that the Centre announce media- The 2-page statement in Telugu signed
headquarters of Bastar district. Chief min- tors for the release of the captivated jawan. by “Vikalp” on behalf of Dandakaranya
ister Bhupesh Baghel and senior officials “In the Bijapur attack, 24 security person- Special Zonal Committee of the Maoists
of the state police and the Central Reserve nel lost their lives and 31 of them injured. said 2,000 policemen had attacked them
Police Force (CRPF) were present at the One jawan is in our custody. Four People’s and that four People’s Liberation Guerril-
meeting. Liberation Guerrilla Army personnel lost la Army (PLGA) cadres were killed in the
On Thursday, Rakeshwar Singh their lives. We are ready to negotiate with encounter at Tarrem on April 3.
Manhas, the commando from the Cen- the government. They can announce medi- It added that they had also taken away
tral Reserve Police Force’s elite CoBRA ators. We will release him (captive jawan). 14 weapons, over 2,000 rounds of ammuni-
unit, who was taken by Naxals during the Police jawans are not our enemies,” read tion, and other items belonging to the secu-
Bijapur attack on April 3, was released by the letter. rity personnel.
them. Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh The Director General of CRPF Kuld- Also, ANI spoke to a local journal-
expressed his happiness over the release of iep Singh on Tuesday told ANI, “One ist, Ganesh Mishra. He said, “Recently,
commando and said it was a huge relief for jawan Rakeshwar Singh Manhas is still Rakeshwar Singh Manhas’s daughter re-
his family as well as the entire Jammu re- missing. Rumors are that he is in the cap- leased a video requesting the Maoists to
gion. “A huge relief for the family as well as tivity of Naxals. Currently, we are verifying hand over her father safely to the author-
the entire Jammu region. Thanks to Prime the news and planning an operation in that ities. In another communication by the
Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home regard.” Maoists, they have assured that they will
Minister Amit Shah,” the minister said in a The banned organization further said release a video message of the jawan soon.”
tweet. Singh is an MP from Udhampur. that the state government would announce “Also, if the state government cooper-
Twenty-two security personnel lost their a mediator and only then they would release ates (as per the Maoists), they will release
lives while 31 sustained injuries in an en- the CRPF commando to the mediator. the jawan within two days”, he added. Fi-
counter that broke out between security The Chhattisgarh police has confirmed nally, the jawan was released on Thursday.
forces and Naxals along the Chhattisgarh’s that the “letter is genuine.” It brought a relief not just to a family but to
Sukma-Bijapur border on Saturday after a The Commando Battalion for Resolute an entire nation.

www.TheIndianEYE .com