CRPF rushes 600 personnel to Rajnandgaon

The CRPF rushed 600 of its men on Sunday to the ambush site in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh where 26 security personnel, including a top police officer, were killed in a twin attack by Maoists.

The CRPF rushed 600 of its men on Sunday to the ambush site in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh where 26 security personnel, including a top police officer, were killed in a twin attack by Maoists.

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The troops, belonging to Rajnandgaon-based 188th battalion of the force and equipped with mine detection kits and rescue equipment, were rushed to the spot to start combing operations against the banned Maoists militants.

"A battalion strength (around 1,000 men) of the force is being sent to the spot for starting combing operations and sanitizing the area. Six companies (comprising 600 men) have been sent initially," a senior CRPF officer said.

Twenty-six police personnel, including Superintendent of Police VK Choubey, were killed when Maoists ambushed a team, led by the slain officer, while it was en route to a police camp at Madanpara where the militants had killed two security men on Sunday morning.

The Station House Officer (SHO) of the Madanpara police station area, near the ambush site, was also killed in the attack, official sources said.

Additional reinforcements and communication equipment will also be sent as the CRPF troops will set up a temporary camp there, sources added.