RAIPUR: Maoists shot dead an Army jawan, who was on leave in his native village to visit his pregnant wife, in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district.
This is the first time that the Maoists have killed an Armyman.
The insurgents have killed seven security force personnel in less than a week, a marked scale-up in aggression.
According to police, on Saturday evening, the jawan was shopping in the Useli village fair market when he was shot at close range by a Maoist hit squad. The hit squad was disguised as villagers, and the incident took place in front of his brother and several other villagers.
The 29-year-old was with the Army Service Corps and his unit is posted in the northeast. He had come to his village, Bade Tevda, around 180km from Raipur, for a week to visit his pregnant wife.
The Armyman’s cold-blooded murder marks a grim first in Bastar, perhaps the country.
Brig B K Ponwar(retd), director of the Jungle Warfare College, who trains police in guerilla tactics, said, “Maoists often look for soft targets in desperation. In this case, it appears that they may have mistaken the Armyman for a CRPF jawan or personnel of some other security force. Normally, Maoists don’t strike Armymen. Also, it appears that somewhere the rules of warfare were flouted”.
According to Kanker SP Shalabh Sinha, eyewitnesses said that the two Maoist attackers shouted ‘Lal Salaam’ after firing at him and fled the spot. “This is a very shocking incident,” he said.’
Though the remote village is one of the worst Maoist-affected regions, the jawan regularly visited his family and was never targeted or threatened by Maoists.
The SP visited the village and found that the Armyman’s family leads a simple life. They depend on a bit of farming and gathering forest produce and have never had any disputes with anyone.
The jawan was well-liked and respected in the village. There is no other family member who is associated with security forces either, the SP said.
“The Army personnel had nothing to do with the fight against Naxals. Such an attack on an Army personnel serving his country, when he was on leave, is a gross violation of human rights. Maoists call themselves well-wishers of tribals but they are no less than any terrorist. This is a live example of it,” Sinha said. He attended the last rites of the soldier.
Police officials said that it appeared to be the work of a Maoist ‘small action group’, who target off-duty security personnel in markets and such places to strike terror in the local population.
Cop dies in IED blast
On Sunday, a Chhattisgarh Armed Force head constable was killed in a Maoist IED blast in Narayanpur district.
A CAF squad was patrolling the Orchcha forests when Sanjay Lakra stepped on an anti-personnel mine near Batum village, around 300km from Raipur, at 7am.
It exploded, killing him on the spot. He was a native of Jashpur district. The administration is preparing to send his body to his native place for the last rites.
Maoists seem to have stepped up attacks on the forces. The killing of the Armyman and CAF cop comes less than a week after the insurgents shot dead three District Reserve Guard personnel in an ambush in the Jagargunda region of Sukma district.
Two other cops were killed in Maoist firing in Rajnandgaon district on February 20.
This is the first time that the Maoists have killed an Armyman.
The insurgents have killed seven security force personnel in less than a week, a marked scale-up in aggression.
According to police, on Saturday evening, the jawan was shopping in the Useli village fair market when he was shot at close range by a Maoist hit squad. The hit squad was disguised as villagers, and the incident took place in front of his brother and several other villagers.
The 29-year-old was with the Army Service Corps and his unit is posted in the northeast. He had come to his village, Bade Tevda, around 180km from Raipur, for a week to visit his pregnant wife.
The Armyman’s cold-blooded murder marks a grim first in Bastar, perhaps the country.
Brig B K Ponwar(retd), director of the Jungle Warfare College, who trains police in guerilla tactics, said, “Maoists often look for soft targets in desperation. In this case, it appears that they may have mistaken the Armyman for a CRPF jawan or personnel of some other security force. Normally, Maoists don’t strike Armymen. Also, it appears that somewhere the rules of warfare were flouted”.
According to Kanker SP Shalabh Sinha, eyewitnesses said that the two Maoist attackers shouted ‘Lal Salaam’ after firing at him and fled the spot. “This is a very shocking incident,” he said.’
Though the remote village is one of the worst Maoist-affected regions, the jawan regularly visited his family and was never targeted or threatened by Maoists.
The SP visited the village and found that the Armyman’s family leads a simple life. They depend on a bit of farming and gathering forest produce and have never had any disputes with anyone.
The jawan was well-liked and respected in the village. There is no other family member who is associated with security forces either, the SP said.
“The Army personnel had nothing to do with the fight against Naxals. Such an attack on an Army personnel serving his country, when he was on leave, is a gross violation of human rights. Maoists call themselves well-wishers of tribals but they are no less than any terrorist. This is a live example of it,” Sinha said. He attended the last rites of the soldier.
Police officials said that it appeared to be the work of a Maoist ‘small action group’, who target off-duty security personnel in markets and such places to strike terror in the local population.
Cop dies in IED blast
On Sunday, a Chhattisgarh Armed Force head constable was killed in a Maoist IED blast in Narayanpur district.
A CAF squad was patrolling the Orchcha forests when Sanjay Lakra stepped on an anti-personnel mine near Batum village, around 300km from Raipur, at 7am.
It exploded, killing him on the spot. He was a native of Jashpur district. The administration is preparing to send his body to his native place for the last rites.
Maoists seem to have stepped up attacks on the forces. The killing of the Armyman and CAF cop comes less than a week after the insurgents shot dead three District Reserve Guard personnel in an ambush in the Jagargunda region of Sukma district.
Two other cops were killed in Maoist firing in Rajnandgaon district on February 20.