In tragic news, a District Reserve Guard (DRG) constable was killed and another sustained injuries in an accidental firearm discharge in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district. The officials said on Thursday that the incident happened late Wednesday night when state police units, the DRG and Bastar Fighter, were out on an anti-Naxal operation in Barsoor police station limits.
Elaborating on the details of the incident, in a statement issued, the officials mentioned that while on patrol in Handawada and Hitawada villages along the Dantewada-Narayanpur district border that two DRG constables—identified as Jograj Karma and Parsuram Alami—sustained bullet injuries in an accidental firing.
While Karma succumbed to his injuries due to excess bleeding, Alami was administered preliminary treatment and then airlifted to Raipur for further medication, the police said. Meanwhile, it added, based on input about the presence of armed Naxalites in Handawada and Hitawada villages along the Dantewada-Narayanpur district border, that the security personnel had carried out the operation.
Significantly, the statement did not elaborate on whose weapon accidentally went off and said more details would be shared later.
It is pertinent to note that the development comes on the heels of Chhattisgarh's Kanker operation, where at least 29 Maoists were killed and at least three Jawans sustained injuries in the district on Tuesday.
Earlier, speaking to the media, SP Indra Kalyan Elisela confirmed the deaths of Naxalites in the encounter, including a prominent Naxal commander named Shankar Rao. He had a reward of Rs 25 lakh on his head. Additionally, a significant cache of weapons, including four AK-47 rifles, was seized during the operation.
IG Bastar P. Sunddaraj, elaborating on the Kanker operation, added, "Today a team was sent to the Kanker district after receiving information of the presence of senior cadres of CPI Maoist. During the search, an encounter broke out between the security personnel and the Naxals. Till now, the bodies of 29 CPI Maoist cadres have been recovered. Huge arms and ammunition have been recovered. All the injured security personnel are under treatment. This could be seen as one of the biggest encounters till now in the state."
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