Chhattisgarh: Shah to meet injured jawans, go to Naxal attack site

Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit the site where Naxals attacked security personnel at Sukma-Bijapur border in Chhattisgarh on Monday.

He will later meet injured jawans at hospital.

Shah on Sunday evening chaired a high-level meeting on the Chhattisgarh Maoist attack in which at least 22 security personnel were killed, soon after he returned from Assam where he was conducting the election campaign.

Around 2,000 security personnel had launched a joint anti-Naxal operation from Bijapur and Sukma districts in the South Bastar forests on Friday night. Out of the total 22 fatalities, eight were from CRPF — seven from CoBRA unit and another from the Bastariya battalion.

Sources said around 400 Maoists had ambushed the security personnel. Most wanted Maoist commander and leader of the self-styled 'People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion no 1' -- Hidma -- and his associate Sujatha are suspected to be behind the attack.

Maoists used light machine guns (LMGs) and low-intensity improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to target the personnel. Sources said Maoists carried around a dozen of their dead operatives on tractor trolleys.

Maoists are said to have encircled the security personnel from three sides and a heavy gun battle ensued in the jungle which are devoid of any foliage at present.