Separate incidents hit Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region

Five policemen were killed and 12 others injured in two separate incidents in parts of Bastar region, Chhattisgarh, on Wednesday.

In the first incident, four policemen, including two police sub-inspectors, were killed and 11 others suffered injuries in an encounter with the Maoists in Narayanpur district.

The second incident was reported from Bijapur district, where an improvised explosive device (IED) explosion triggered by the Maoists killed one policeman and injured another.

In Narayanpur, the encounter between the Maoists and the police team took place near Irapnar forest under Orchha police station limits. “Four policemen died in Naraynpur encounter. Nine injured jawans have been brought to Raipur by a chopper and admitted to a hospital here. Two injured jawans are being treated in Bastar,” said D.M. Awasthi, Special Director General of Police, Anti-Naxal Operation Unit, Chhattisgarh police.

The deceased policemen were identified as sub-inspector Vinod Kaushik, sub-inspector Mulchand Kanwar, constable Devnath Pujari and constable Raisingh Markam. Constable Brujesh Yadav, Jaykaran Prajapati, Sanjay Patel, Gasiyaram Kureti, Santosh Dugga, Nandkumar Lakda, Rohit Besra, Jagendra Uike and Govardhan Kunjam were injured in the Narayanpur encounter and were brought to Raipur by a chopper. All the injured jawans were admitted to the Ram Krishna Care Hospital in Raipur.