Close to fifteen security personnel were killed by an IED explosion in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, on the 1st of May. This attack on the security men came hours after Maoists in the region set fire to 30 vehicles.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Gadchiroli, Ankush Shinde, said in a statement, “The Quick Response Team (QRT) was from Kurkheda police station. They were going to Purada village in a private vehicle. The blast occurred at around 12.30 PM near a nullah called Lendari in which 15 of our jawans have become martyrs.”
The police in the area aren’t sure of how many Maoists are currently in the area. According to the information derived so far, the village of Daddar is infiltrated with naxals ranging from 40 to 100.
The attacks come not only at a time when Maharashtra celebrates its founding day, but also a month after the one year death anniversary of 40 Maoists.
In April last year, in one of the largest operations against Maoists, security forces gunned down and killed 40 Maoists. These attacks were carried out by C 60 commandos after officials in Maharashtra received information regarding the gathering of several top Maoists leaders in the area.
Stay tuned for more updates.
