IED Blast Maos Damage Culvert

The damage caused is disrupting the movement of vehicles on NH-30.No casualty was reported in the incident.An encounter took place between security personnel of CoBRA battalion and Maos.

Sukma: An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast triggered the Maos in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma partially damaged a culvert on the Injaram-Bhejji axis in the early hours of Friday. In a separate incident on the same day in Sukma, the rebels exchanged fire with the CoBRA battalion while the latter was conducting a search operation in the Potakpalli area.

According to the police, the Maos triggered an underground IED blast between Gorkha and Kottacheru in a bid to blow off a culvert on the only motorable road connecting Bhejji. “Though the structure could not be blown off completely, serious damage was inflicted, affecting public transport,” Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) P Sundarraj said.

The Injaram-Bhejji axis is not important only because it connects the villages to the drict headquarters but is also a vital axis for the security forces in the Naxal-dominated area. “The Maos are trying to push the forces out as with the forces comes government and development which the Maos oppose,” an officer from the area said. He added, “Our teams immediately reached the spot but the Maos had fled. We have begun the repair works of the culvert.”

Meanwhile, in Potakpalli, 50 km from the culvert, personnel of the CoBRA battalion number 208 came under fire while conducting a search operation. The security personnel retaliated and eventually, the Maos fled, the police said. “Security personnel had information that the Maos were gathering in the jungles and hence a search operation was on. We are still searching the jungles for the items left behind the Maos,” a senior officer said.