An Additional Superintendent of the Chhattisgarh Police was killed and two police personnel were severely injured on Monday due to an Improvised Explosives Device Blast (IED) in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, said police officials cited by PTI. The incident occurred when ASP Akash Rao Giripunje and the officials were out on foot patrolling near the Dondra village on the Konta–Errabore road.
The patrolling was launched as a precautionary measure ahead of the Bharat Bandh called by the Communist Party of India (Maoist) on June 10 to mitigate any potential disruption in the region. According to officials, ASP Giripunje suffered critical injuries and was admitted to the Konta hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, reported PTI.
Two other officers were admitted to the Konta hospital and are reportedly out of danger.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma gave a statement to PTI and called ASP Giripunje a “brave” jawan. “Girepunje ji was martyred in the blast in Konta area of Sukma. He was a brave officer and was a gallantry awardee,” he told PTI. If a situation of talks is created with the Naxals, then this is what he leads to, he said while referring to the blasts.
He asked the Naxals to shun violence and join in on the development of the nation. “The government has clarified that it does not want to fire a single bullet, but they (Naxalites) should join the mainstream, take benefits of the rehabilitation scheme and contribute to the development of the society and the nation,” he told PTI.
The Maoists called for the bandh on June 10 in protest against the recent killings of top Maoist leaders along with several operations to eliminate Naxal presence in the area.
