Eight CRPF jawans were on Saturday killed when Naxals blew up a bullet-proof vehicle in Bijapur district of Chhhattisgarh in the first major attack since the Dantewada ambush left 76 security men dead a month ago.
The naxalites triggered the IED blast near Pedakodepal village on National Highway 16 in Bijapur, 284 km from here, and fired at the security personnel, Director General of Police Vishwaranjan said.
Eight CRPF personnel of 168 Battalion, including a driver, who were travelling in a TATA 407 bulletproof vehicle from their company headquarters in Murkinal to nearby battalion headquarters, were killed, he said.
One jawan was injured and another went missing in the attack, the DGP said.
"It appears that the security personnel ignored the instruction not to travel in any kind of vehicle in the naxal-hit areas," State Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar said.
The injured were admitted to a hospital in Jagdalpur.
According to CRPF sources, an eight-feet crater was formed on the 'pucca' road as a result of the blast.
The dead have been identified as S-I Santosh Chaurasia, Head Constable (driver) Hazarilal, HC H K Ghosh, HC M Subramuium, Constable Tekram Verma, Rakesh Meena, Santosh Chauhan and Ilaab Singh.
Naxalites had on April 6 carried out their deadliest attack killing 76 security personnel in Mukrana forests of Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh. PTI
