Naxal landmine claims 10 lives in Chhattisgarh

Raipur (Chhattisgarh), May 6 (ANI): A landmine blast in Sirguda village, in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, claimed the lives of at least ten people on Wednesday.

Among the dead were two CRPF personnel and four special police officers, police said.

They said naxals blew up a tractor carrying the special police officers (SPOs) and jawans.

Chhattisgarh home minister Nankiram Kanwar had earlier told the State Assembly that 241 people had fallen victim to the Naxal violence in the state during the last year.

In his written reply to a question by Congress MLA Haridhar Bharadwaj, the home minister said, Naxalites have killed 241 persons in the state between January 1, 2008 and January 12, 2009.

During this period, 82 of extremists were killed in police encounters, and 431 Naxalites and Sangam members were also arrested, he said.

Kanwar said that the state government had so far compensated 126 civilian families who fell victim to the Naxal violence. (ANI)