Naxals raid police camp in Chhattisgarh, 55 killed

Jagdalpur, Mar 15 (UNI) At least 55 security personnel, including 39 tribal youth working as Special Police Officers (SPOs), were killed when Maoist rebels raided a police camp at Ranibodli in Dantewada district in South Bastar in the pre-dawn hours today.

This attack is one of the fiercest strike of its kind during the last two decades in the region, as the Maoists had cordoned off the police camp housed in an ashram school building at around 0200 hours and lobbed lobbed grenades and petrol bombs and resorted to indiscriminate friring for about three hours.

Maoists, who were in about 400 in numbers, had meticulously planned the attack as they had used a generator to light up the area before launching the attack on security forces. As many as 28 girls, who were inside the other portion of the building, had a miraculous escape.

Police sources confirmed deaths of 39 special police officers (SPOs) and 16 personnel of Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) saying that 13 others had sustained serious burn injuries as the rebels used petrol bombs during the raid.

Three of the deceased were identified as platoon commanders Ramsweak, Mistar Ekka and Raj Bahadur.

Director-General of Police Om Prakash Rathor, who visited the site, claimed, ''15-20 naxals were slain in an ensuing encounter but the Maoists carried away the bodies.'' Reports said the Maoists had also looted three AK47 assault rifles, one Insas rifle, three self loading rifles and a number of 303 rifles from the camp.

Leader of the opposition Mahendra Karma, Director general of state police Om Prakash Rathor, Inspector General of police (Bastar range) R K Vij and other senior civil and police officials have reached the spot.

Chief minister Raman Singh made a suo motu statement in the Assembly and quoted preliminary reports to confirm 49 deaths and injuries to 12 others. He strongly condemned the violence.

Ever since the Naxalites stepped up violence in the tribal Bastar region, special police officers (SPOs)-- the local youth appointed on honorarium basis under the provisions of Police Act-- had been a soft target of the Maoists. These SPOs, who undergo training to handle weapons, assist the security personnel during patrolling and other operations in the sprawling shrub forests and hilly terrains of Bastar.

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