Dead bodies of CRPF personnel in Raipur for state funeral

Raipur (Chhattisgarh), May 9 (ANI): The bodies of personnel of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), who were killed in a Maoist attack in the Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh, were brought to the state capital Raipur on Sunday, where they will be given a state funeral.

Talking to the reporters, Superintendent of Police Om Prakash Pal, provided details of the last rites.

"The soldiers, who were killed yesterday in CRPF, Bijapur, their last rites would take place here. They will be given a state funeral after which their bodies will be sent to their respective families," Pal said.

He also revealed the states to which the eight dead soldiers belonged to.

"Yes, it has a soldier from Chhattisgarh, and he is a resident of Kareli village in Tilda Neora area. Apart from this, the soldiers are from different states, one is from Assam, one is from UP (Uttar Pradesh), one is from Tamil Nadu, two are from Rajasthan, and two are from Madhya Pradesh," Pal said.

The eight Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in a landmine attack on Saturday evening.

One CRPF constable and two civilians on a motorcycle were also injured in the explosion.

The Maoists, described by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the country's biggest internal security threat, started their armed struggle in the Naxalbari town of West Bengal in 1967. Hence the name Naxalites, and over the past four decades, they have expanded their support among farmers by tapping into resentment at the government's pro-industry push.

The Maoists say they are crusading against the prevailing political system and in cause of the poor and marginal farmers and landless labourers.

They have spread into rural pockets in 20 of India's 28 states and the movement has upset business prospects worth billions of dollars in mining industries in central and eastern India. (ANI)