Dantewada Naxal Attack LIVE: BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi was killed in the ambush by Naxals. Dantewada Naxal Attack LIVE: BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi was killed in the ambush by Naxals.

Dantewada Naxal Attack LIVE: Just 48 hours before Lok Sabha elections in the Bastar region, five people, including BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi, were killed on Tuesday in a Naxal attack in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh. An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was used by the Naxals in the attack that took place at Nakulnar in the district.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel chaired a high-level meeting in Raipur and directed security forces to “respond in the manner in which Naxals understand. The attack took place between Kuakonta and Shyamgiri hills when the escort vehicle of the state police was targetted with the IED. Four personnel of the Chhattisgarh Police were killed in the attack. A reinforcement party of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was rushed to the spot.

Read | On last day of campaigning, BJP MLA, four others killed in Naxal attack

Condemning the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, that the sacrifices of these martyrs will not go in vain. “Shri Bhima Mandavi was a dedicated Karyakarta of the BJP. Diligent and courageous, he assiduously served the people of Chhattisgarh. His demise is deeply anguishing. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti,” PM tweeted. P Sundar Raj, DIG, Naxal operations, said that the MLA’s vehicle came in the ambit of the IED blast that left a huge crater on the site of the attack.