Pall of gloom in UP as 42 coffins arrive

Pall of gloom descended on UP as 42 coffins carrying bodies of CRPF personnel, who were killed in anti Maoists operation in Dantewada, arrived in the state on Wednesday for last rites.

Pall of gloom descended on UP as 42 coffins carrying bodies of CRPF personnel, who were killed in anti Maoists operation in Dantewada, arrived in the state on Wednesday for last rites.

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There was grief all over from Baghpat in west to Balia and Ghazipur in east. Most of the victims were from rural areas of the state. According to information 25 coffins were flown into Lucknow and remaining 17 were taken to Delhi as the victims were from the western UP districts.

Never in the past such a large numbers of death from UP occurred in any operation by the security forces. Of the total 75 deaths UP's 42 martyrs belonged 27 districts.

It may be recalled that 17 PAC personnel were blown to death in landmine blast in Chandauli on November 20, 2004. Even though three districts-Chandauli, Sonebhadra and Mirzapur are Naxalite infested there had been no major killing after 2004. Police sources said that Nxalites had been using these districts as safe haven after operation outside the state.

Seven personnel from Uttrakhand Vinod Pal (Tehri), Tikam Singh (Dehradun) Manoj Naugai (Nainital), Brija Nand (Udhamsinghnagar) Rajendra Singh Rana (Udham Singh Nagar), Lalit Kumar (Haridwar), Mahesh Singh (Pithoragarh) were killed in attack.