RAIPUR: Two District Reserve Guard (DRG) jawans were killed and five injured in an IED blast triggered by Maoists when they were travelling from Kutru to Jangla in Bijapur district on Monday.

The Maoist attack took place five days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the insurgency-hit Bijapur district in Bastar.

On Monday morning, an exchange of fire took place between security forces and Maoists on a team of CRPF personnel who were out on an area domination patrol. There were two IED blasts before the gun-battle broke out from both sides.

Bastar range inspector general of police Vivekananda Sinha told TOI, “Two jawans of DRG were killed and five injured when Maoists targeted the bus carrying 30 jawans from Kutru to Jangla and triggered an IED blast. Condition of the injured jawans is stable and they are being treated at a district hospital. Security forces are on high alert in Bijapur and jawans have been sanitizing the forests before the PM’s visit.”

He said that there would be several layers of security cover during PM’s visit.

Officers said that the massive IED explosion left a 10-feet deep crater on the ground.