12 years of Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada: Know how it happened

In April 2010, in their deadliest attack on the security forces yet, Maoist rebels killed 74 members of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and two policemen from the Chhattisgarh police and destroyed an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) near Chintalnar village in Dantewada district, Chhattisgarh.

The killed included a Deputy and an Assistant Commandant of the CRPF, and a head constable of the district police.

The attack took place in the Mukrana forest, about 540 km southeast of the State capital Raipur. Seven injured personnel were evacuated by helicopter to the Maharani Hospital in Jagdalpur.

The attack occurred when over 85 officers from the central paramilitary force Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and a local police group were conducting an area domination exercise in the Bastar tribal region of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh

The ambush reportedly occurred at about 5.30 AM when an army battalion, and between 30 and 40 men from the Chhattisgarh police, were returning from the area domination exercise.

According to police reports, 300 Naxal fighters initially attacked a convoy of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in the Talmetla area as they were returning from an operation. The Naxals were hiding when the 74th Battalion of the CRPF reached Kalapathar near Chintagufa in Sukma.

The attack was condemned by the then Home Minister of India P Chidambaram saying it showed the "savage nature" of the Maoists.

According to a report by The Hindu, Kosa, Leader of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the CPI Maoist and was executed by three Maoist companies led by Ganeshanna and Ramanna, two top leaders from the same Committee.

The Maoist leader Gopal stated that the attack was conducted as a "direct consequence" to the government's Operation Green Hunt.

Operation Green Hunt is the name used by the Indian media to describe the "all-out offensive by paramilitary forces and the forces of the state" against the Naxalites. The operation is believed to have begun in November 2009 along with five states in the "Red Corridor."

The term was coined by the Chhattisgarh police officials to describe one successful drive against the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in the state.

(with sources inputs)

Published on: Tuesday, April 05, 2022, 06:03 PM IST