An IED (Improvised Explosive Device) planted by the Naxals, went off in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, killing five people, including a CISF security personnel this morning (8 November), as reported by Hindustan Times. The violent attack comes only a day ahead of the PM Modi and Congress President Rahul Gandhi's visit to the conflict-prone region on Friday (9 November).

“Naxalites targeted a CISF vehicle detonating a powerful IED blast killing one Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) jawan and three civilians --- a driver, conductor and cleaner of the mini-bus, on the spot. Two jawans had sustained injuries. We are trying to find out whether the forces were on poll duty or it was their routine movement in and around the NMDC mines,” Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Pallava, told the The New Indian Express.

Chhattisgarh will go to polls for its state assembly elections in two phases, on 12 and 20 November. This attack on the CISF vehicle, which was on election duty, comes only days after the 30 October Maoists attack that killed a Doordarshan cameraman and two security personnel.

On 13 March 2018, nine CRPF personnel were killed when the Maoists attacked a mine-protected vehicle with an IED in Chhattisgarh.

poll bound

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