Chhattisgarh's DRG Unit Suffers 8 Casualties in Major Maoist Attack

In one of the deadliest Maoist attacks in recent years, eight District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel and one civilian driver were killed when insurgents detonated a powerful 70 kg IED under their vehicle in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Monday.

The attack, which occurred near Aranpur village in the Kutru police station area around 2:15 PM, targeted DRG personnel returning from an anti-Maoist operation in their Scorpio vehicle. The explosion created a crater more than 10 feet deep and completely destroyed the vehicle.

In a related counter-operation on Saturday, security forces killed five Maoists in a three-day operation. A DRG head constable lost his life in the encounter, and the body of a female Maoist cadre was recovered on Sunday.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed his condolences on social media, stating he was "deeply saddened by the loss of DRG soldiers" and reaffirmed the government's commitment to eliminating Naxalism from India by March 2025.

The state has seen significant anti-Maoist successes in 2024, with 287 Maoists killed, 1,000 arrested, and 837 surrendered in Chhattisgarh alone. Among these were 14 top-ranking Maoist leaders.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai condemned the attack as "heinous and tragic," assuring that "a thorough investigation and assessment" was underway. He emphasized that the sacrifices of the security personnel would not go in vain and reiterated the government's commitment to eradicating Naxalism.

The DRG, a specialized unit of the state police, primarily recruits from local tribal populations and surrendered Maoists, leveraging their knowledge of the terrain and local dynamics in anti-Maoist operations.