Dimapur, MarCH 1 (MExN): Four jawans of the Naga 9th IR fell to a landmine, and an ambush, along with four other casualties in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district today. The dead also include two Special Police Officers and the driver and handyman of the truck the fallen soldiers were traveling in. Two IR jawans also sustained serious injuries, police said.
The four fallen IR men have been identified as Havildar B Limawati Walling, C/N T Nghio Lotha, C/N Chumukie Sangtam and C/N Mayangchiba Walling while the injured reportedly serious have been identified as C/N T Nokum Konyak and C/N Shilulemba Ao.
Police sources in Dantewada said that Naxalites detonated a large landmine and proceeded to fire indiscriminately on a police party killing eight on the spot and injuring two security personnel at Metaguda in Errabore Police station area, about 485 km from the district hub.
According to police sources, the incident occurred when the police party was undertaking a road-clearing operation. About ten jawans were in the truck, which fell to a huge landmine and later, indiscriminate firing from the Naxalites.
The Naxalites also took away seven sophisticated weapons from the security personnel after killing them, sources said. They escaped with three AK-47 rifles and two each of SLRs and .303s. Additional forces have rushed to the spot and combing operation has been launched to trace out the Naxalites, it was informed.
It was the same spot, where about a year back insurgents had triggered a landmine targeting a truck which killed 27 villagers. State Home Department sources also told PTI that the truck targeted by the Naxalites today had an Orissa registration number and the security force personnel had taken a lift when the blast was triggered.
With inputs from PTI
