Chhattisgarh: Maoists Received Signals On Presence Of DRG Jawans In The Van, Indicates Initial Assessment On Dantewada Attack

A preliminary assessment conducted by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) found that Maoists allegedly received signals about the presence of uniformed jawans.

This comes after an IED blast in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district which killed 10 District Reserve Guard personnel and their driver, who were travelling in a van.

Locals had reportedly stopped the vehicle just 100 meters from the IED point and asked for donations for the Aamaa festival. It has been discovered that a separate vehicle in the convoy, which had two Maoists in custody, had safely passed through the same area just moments before the explosion occurred.

The detonation of the improvised explosive device (IED) happened between 1 pm and 1.30 pm on Wednesday along the Aranpur road, approximately 50 km away from the district's central command post.

Wednesday's attack started from an incident on 18 April, when Maoists fired at a convoy carrying Congress MLA Vikram Mandavi from Bijapur district. Although no one was harmed, the assault occurred on the Gangaloor-Padeda road as the convoy was heading back to Bijapur city after visiting a village in Gangaloor tehsil.

“Investigation has revealed that the weapon of the assailant got jammed when they attacked Mandavi; his driver in the meantime managed to speed away from the spot,” a source said, reported The Indian Express.

Following the incident, DRG personnel from their Dantewada town headquarters were transported in civil hired vehicles to Aranpur. Upon arrival at the police station on 24 April, the team parked their vehicles for two days and commenced their special operation.

An officer received intel regarding armed Maoists in Aranpur, prompting the team to respond quickly. A group of Maoists engaged in gunfire with the patrolling team near Nahadi village, just 7 km from Aranpur.

According to the report, two Maoists were shot during the incident and were subsequently captured. They were being transported back to district headquarters as a convoy.

As per a Central intelligence officer, security forces' protocol necessitates the receipt of specific intelligence inputs and sanitization of the route before proceeding with an operation. Security forces may avail themselves of the services of a Road Opening Party (ROP) to ensure the convoy's safety.

"When they (DRG personnel) were returning, there was no ROP in place and the first vehicle, in which the two suspected Maoists were travelling, crossed the first (IED) point. The second vehicle (a private van) was stopped by the locals on the pretext of asking for some donation for Aamaa festival,” a source said, reported TIE, citing the preliminary assessment report, which was sent to senior officials on Thursday.

During a preliminary assessment of the incident, it was discovered that the driver, Dhaniram Yadav, had halted the vehicle 100 metres prior to the IED location.

“There is a strong possibility that the locals signalled the Maoists that the DRG jawans were present and they were also carrying weapons. As soon as the van reached the point, the blast occurred and the vehicle flew some 50 metres,” the source said, as per the report.

“Minutes after the Maoists set off the IED, they ran towards the van and tried to snatch the weapons. The DRG jawans in the next vehicle opened fire and the Maoists escaped from the spot,” the source added.

The officers noted that this incident is similar to the 2021 Bukintor attack, where an IED blast caused the death of five jawans and injured 13 others between Camp Kadenar and Kanhargaon.