Team News Riveting
Raipur, March 24
The Maoists could have used carbon papers to wrap the landmines for escaping detection in the Tuesday blast that killed five security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s restive Narayanpur district.
The rebels yesterday evening blew up a bus carrying personnel from the District Reserve Guard (DRG) near Maroda village, 3 km from Kadenar camp of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) on Barsoor-Palli route. The densely forested pocket is considered as Maoist stronghold.
The handlers could have missed the target by fraction of second as the reported three landmines exploded on the front portion of the vehicle that minimised the damage. Had it went-off at the centre, the devastation could have been alarming. There were 25 personnel on board.
The senior officials admitted that the casualty inflicted was due to the impact of the bus plunging into the culvert and not because of the explosion.
Five personnel of the DRG, the frontline anti-Maoist force of Chhattisgarh police, died in the incident while over a dozen sustained injuries. The condition of injured security personnel was reported to be stable.
Meanwhile, the investigating officials were exploring how the machines missed to detect the landmines as the para-military forces had conducted a road opening operation on the route before the incident. Even the forces had cordoned off the area as the DRG troopers were travelling on the route to the district headquarters after an anti-insurgency operation in the area.
The Inspector General of Police (Bastar range), Sunderraj P told a news agency that the Road Opening Party (ROP) of ITBP and local police had conducted the demining exercise with the Bomb Disposal Squads (BDS). It was only after their clearance, permission was granted for the movement of troops, he added.
The officials quoting the preliminary investigations said only one or two persons had committed the incident by triggering the landmines from a distance of 100 meters. The police suspect that the landmines were probably covered by carbon papers that dodged the detection. The detailed investigations would however reveal the exact cause.
