Four civilians were killed in a powerful landmine blast triggered by the Maoist rebels on the National Highway in restive Dantewada district about 500 km south of Raipur on Sunday afternoon.
The incident occurred between Kerlapal and Sukma police stations. Following the blast the traffic on the highway was disrupted. The Dantewada superintendent of police Amresh Mishra told Hindustan Times that all the four civilians were travelling in a private truck when their vehicle hit the landmine, killing them on the spot. Suryanarayan Raju, the truck-owner, was also killed.
“The impact of the landmine blast was so powerful that none of the deceased could be identified as their bodies were blown to pieces”, said Mishra.
This is for the first time the civilians got killed in such powerful landmine blast in Dantewada this year, said the SP. Reinforcements was rushed to the site.
On Saturday, the Red guerrillas stormed a rest house owned by the forest department in Dhamtari district about 100 km south-east of Raipur and set it on fire after taking the security guards hostage.
The rebels are observing the ninth anniversary of People's Liberation of Guerilla Army (PLGA), the military wing of the Maoists, from December 2 – 8. “We have carrying out intensive patrolling and informing villagers to be on alert while venturing out on the roads in remote areas”, Mishra said. Normal life was affected in the interior regions of southern Bastar in Chhattisgarh during the week long anniversary celebrations.
The rebels are observing the ninth anniversary of People's Liberation of Guerilla Army (PLGA), the military wing of the Maoists, from December 2 – 8. “We have carrying out intensive patrolling and informing villagers to be on alert while venturing out on the roads in remote areas”, Mishra said. Normal life was affected in the interior regions of southern Bastar in Chhattisgarh during the week long anniversary celebrations.