During a Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Tuesday, an assistant cameraman from national broadcaster Doordarshan recorded a message for his mother.
In a video clip shared by Union Minister Smriti Irani on Twitter, the assistant cameraman Mormukut Sharma is seen saying “I may be killed in this attack, but, Mummy, I love you.”
"I don't know why but I am not scared while looking death in the face. It will be difficult to survive. There are six to seven jawans with us. We have been surrounded from all sides," Sharma says.
Sharma and another journalist Dhiraj Kumar survived the Maoist attack, but their cameraperson Achyutanand Sahu was killed. They had arrived in the state for the coverage of next month's assembly elections.
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Two policemen, Sub-Inspector Rudra Pratap Singh and Assistant Constable Manglu, were also killed and two other security personnel injured when Maoists attacked them near Nilawaya under Aranpur police station limits.
Deputy Inspector General (Anti-Naxal Operations) Sundarraj P told news agency PTI the incident took place when a squad of local police was carrying out patrolling on motorcycles from Sameli camp towards Nilawaya.
The Maoists have called upon voters to boycott the Assembly polls in the state, which has 90 seats.
The first phase of polls covering 18 constituencies of eight Maoist-affected districts -- Bastar, Kanker Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon will
be held on November 12.
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The remaining 72 constituencies will witness polling on November 20. The counting of votes will be held on December 11.
(With inputs from PTI)
(This story has been updated with details of the assistant cameraman who recorded the message.)
